Under the Influence
by Write No More
Summary: Kur looked just like me. An exact, mirror copy. But he was darker, an evil being. Kur then spoke the words, "Zak Saturday, you ARE Kur." PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! COMPLETE. I fixed the cliffhanger, read Chapter 15 near the end.
1. Darkness

"Man, this party blows!" I complained. "No music, no snacks, no dancing!?" My courteous mother Drew chided, "This isn't a party, Zak, this is a formal gathering." I pouted, disappointed as everyone else. No, not the Secret Scientists, which I think is the most bogus name in the world. But nobody asked me, as I've said before. But Fiskerton, my brother, and I. Komodo and Zon were happy as long as they had a full tummy of fish.

"Solomon! Aren't you a sight for old eyes?" cried an elderly man, who embraced Dad. "I haven't seen you since this year's convention! Will you be able to make it?'

"We'll see, Mathias. It all depends on these guys," Dad decided it was a good idea to mess up my hair. "Can I come?" I asked enthusiastically, bouncing up and down.

"Sorry, Zak. No kids."

"What? But why?" I whined. "Go get some punch for your mother, why don't you?" dismissed Dad. I stomped away, fuming. I knew Mom and Dad, and whenever they decided on something, it was final.

"Hey Dr. Cheechoo!" I joined the young scientist. "Not now, Zak. I'm having a very interesting discussion about global warming. Now you say that our ice polar caps are melting, but how do you explain..." I sighed dejectedly. Everything about this party was such a bore! Miranda Gray was an old grouchy hag, Odele, Henry Chiveyo and Arthur Beeman were just plain dull and weird, Talu Mizuki was just old; though being a Hibagon was still pretty cool, but Pachacutec was the worst of them all. "Hello, Zak," greeted a very warm Ulraj.

"Ulraj! You're here! Now this whole entire party won't be a complete bore - fest..."

"I'm just here for my piece of the Kur Stone. Everyone is recieving a piece."

"But you're just a kid!"

"And the king of Kumari Kandam, don't you dare forget!" Off Ulraj marched, his nose stuck in the air.

"Do I have to be here?" I growled to no one in particular. "And get me out of this monkey suit!!" I hate wearing tuxedos, especially ones too small for an eleven year old. Fiskerton growled alongside me, also unhappy. "Fisk? Where did you get that tuxedo?" Grumpily, he scowled, "Mom found one just my size." Chuckling, I whispering in his furry ear as I scratched them, "C'mon. I have an idea to make this a real party."

I guess I should explain myself before I go on. From all around the globe, we were fighting a battle, a war against V.V. Argost's insurrection. Of course, I was only eleven, but I was the biggest contribution to the Secret Scientist's, thanks to my powers and all. Good news was that V.V. Argost was in jail and the Secret Scientist's had the Kur Stone. Bad news, Fiskerton and I were stuck here in this bore fest.

"And where do you think you're going?" asked my mother. Fiskerton and I froze in our tracks, sweat beads sliding down our face.

"To…" I looked to Fisk for some help, but my attempts were in vain. Mom giggled as Dad swept her off her feet, twirling around as he midnight gown swayed and flowed. "No mischief, you two," Dad quipped.

"Ha! Mischief? From us two? Not a chance…" declared I, offended. "The mere thought!" I rambled, "My own Mom and Dad don't even trust me!" Fiskerton sobbed.

"Well," Mom thoughtfully noted, her head resting against Dad's muscular chest. "Think about it, honey. If Zak and Fiskerton are gone, then you and I…" She leaned in, her lips pressing against Dad's in a lip lock, her arms wrapped around his neck. I gagged, Fiskerton almost barfing.

"Okay, you got the surround sound set up?" Fisk gave me thumbs up. "I've got disco ball. Let's get this show on the road!" The Secret Scientists from all around the globe began to crowd in the mess hall. "Zak!!!" shouted my parents, staring right at me through the security cameras. With a grin, I jumped down the fireman's hole, Fiskerton swinging down along with me, a triumphant roar escaping his lips!

Everyone had their hands clasped over their ears, the loud blaring music shaking the ground. Turning the music down, I threw on a pair of sunglasses, trumpeted into the microphone, "This is Zak Saturday coming to you live from The Most Boring Party in the World, along with his assistant Fiskerton!!" With a grin, I put on an oldies classic. My raging mother and father stomped up the stage, fuming, "When we're done with you two…!!" I shielded myself from the fury of my parents, Fiskerton equally scared.

A low murmur rose from the crowd. I sang, "That's it, break it down and boogie!" The old and young alike both reluctantly began to dance. A boisterous voice in the midst of the crowd yelled, "I love this song!" Looking over to Mom and Dad, their faces were of complete surprise, although still remaining stern. "Aw, lighten up, will you two? Do you really want to kill these geezer's fun?"

They both glanced at each other, unsure. I looked over to the crowd of dancing old people, who looked like they were having the time of their life! The music blared as the lights dimmed, our successful plan was accomplished. "We are geniuses," chorused Fisk and I.

Our silver shiny robots were cleaning up the confetti after the dance party. "Was the confetti really necessary, Zak?" barked my father. "Aw, c'mon," I insisted, "You know that was totally awesome!!"

"Well, Zak? You know what?" My eyes widened as my mother approached, her white hair grayer than ever, her blue eyes flashing. "I'm not going to ground you both." Both of our eyes lit up. "You're not going to ground Fisk and me? Really?! Thanks!"

Mom shook her head, chuckling, "Nope." Fisk and I both sighed in relief. "You're going to clean up the mess hall. All by yourself."

We both fainted.

Our zeppelin hovered above the clouds at a cruising 40 MPH. Mom and Dad were engrossed over their piece of the Kur Stone given to them after the Kur Stone dividing ceremony. I bounced around them throwing question after question: "Where are we going? What are we going to do? What's that?" My mother, Drew, a curvaceous woman with pale white hair and her seductive eyes dressed in an orange and black jumpsuit, ran her manicured fingers through my white star – shaped patch of hair on my head, shushing me. My father, Solomon "Doc", a hulking muscular dark skinned man also dressed alike.

The distant flute of a harmony played in my head as we landed somewhere in the Amazon, the croak of tree frogs and the ruffling of bushes ringing in my ears. My eyes fell upon the enormous temple. "Oh cool!" I ran, I sprinted forward to the most eye – catching landmark, hopping and skipping over some rocks in the gentle flow of a river. "Hold your horses, son!" But I hopped on Fiskerton's shoulders, ready to explore the unexplored!

"What do you think this says?" I question my mother, who tried translating the strange symbols and characters carved in the stone of the towering temple. Mom translated, "I can make out a few letters here and there. 'Mountain, err, The Kingdom…' no; 'The Temple…' uh," her eyes widened, a sudden shock or realization. " 'The Temple of Kur.'" Now I was excited. Fired up and ready, I charged forward before crashing into the stone walls.

"Ouch!" My mom rushed forward, "Zak! Zak, are you alright?" I rolled my eyes. She dusted off my hair and kissed my forehead reminding me, "It won't be that easy. There has to be an entrance. Doc! You find any underground passageways yet?!"

"Only one, and it's very narrow! Not even Zak could get in," shouted my father back. I leaned against the stone characters, hypothesizing, "Maybe there are some secret words, like Open Sesame! Or maybe a key? That would be hard to find…But what about…!" The debris and a ominous rumbling shook the ground.

"Is it an earthquake?!" Slowly, a pattern of stone slabs sliding apart, revealing a dark gaping hole. The dust rose as we all coughed. "C'mon, let's go!" I dragged, already beginning to explore the dark caverns.

My fingers traced across the dusty worn away paint of the hieroglyphs carved into the wall. A large portrait of a lizard like dragon, its scales as dark as the midnight evening and claws soaked in blood, almost life size surrounded me!! Three extremely unfamiliar characters were repeated in an odd pattern, as if trying to tell me something. Suddenly, the words began to slide into focus, I could read them, understand them!

Kur.

Could it have bee another mystic hotspot?

An agonizing headache assaulted my head as I screamed, clutching my skull. "Zak!!!" called my parents, hearing my cry.

"It hurts!!!" I fell to my knees, sobbing. In the faint distance, I could see Mom, Dad, even Fiskerton running towards me. Closer and closer they approached, until they froze, not a sound, not a word escaping their lips. I groaned, writhing in agony. A fire flickered behind my eyelids as I felt an imminent terrifying aura nearing ever so closer to me.

I gasped, collapsing against the stone walls. Mom, Dad, Fiskerton, they weren't moving!! They were cold to the touch, frozen in the middle of time and space. There were footsteps. Heavy, they echoed in the darkness. Closer and closer, in the blackness I could make out a figure. Arming myself with The Claw, I held out the staff in a threatening position.

And with a daunting horror, I realized I was looking at a mirror copy of me. Could it be Zak Monday? No. This was an evil being. A monstrous being, whose shadow cast by a small dim, flickering flame was a demon. A dragon. Kur. "W – Who are you?!" I squeaked, my knees bucking.

My mirror copy's eyes glowed a deep purplish black as he smiled a toothy grin. "Don't you know who I am?" I was speechless as he continued. "Of course not."

My copy continued, "The year your idiot parents discovered the key to my power, the Kur Stone, you were born. Isn't that right?" I lashed forward with The Claw, crying out, "Shut up!!!"

"You wouldn't notice the spirit of the supreme almighty cryptid that's been asleep, dormant inside your soul even if I hit you in the face," he boomed. the creepy thing was he even sounded like me. Young. Strong gusts of wind that suddenly blew threw me off balance. "**I am Kur.** Many millennium ago, Zak Saturday, I ruled this planet with an iron fist as the supreme cryptid, above all!"

"What's wrong with my family?!" Dark energy seemed to pulsate in the chamber now. I fought back with my own, our powers clashing together. But I was losing a fruitless battle. Everyone chance I fought back; Kur gave me something else to fight with. Nearer and nearer he approached as I backed against a wall, tears slowly streaming down my face.

"The Saturday family, the ones who awakened me from my deep slumber. Guess I should have to thank you..."

"Gah!" I cried out.

"Tell me where the Kur Stone is, Zak Saturday!!" Kur demanded. I stammered, "I don't know what you're talking about! How do you know my name?!"

"So many questions… I'd hate to have to rid of such a bright, curious mind, especially of my own **reincarnation** from the modern 21st century …Now, Zak Saturday; I know you know where the Kur Stone is."

His maniacal grin, twisted and evil. "I'll never help you rise to power, you…you sick freak!! You're not even a cryptid, you're a monster!!!"

Kur's fingers traced along my neck, grasping it loosely. "So sad. You don't even know…I take it they didn't tell you, Zak? Pity." I glowered at him, inching away ever so slowly… "Don't you ever wonder where you powers come from, Zak? After all, this temple opened only for you..." Silence was my answer. ""Many millennium ago, Zak Saturday, I was born. Modern day, the 21th century, you're here. I am just like you, Saturday. I am Kur, the mighty beast that shall reign once more on this planet, feared by all!!"

Kur's grip around my neck tightened as he pressed his body close to mine, his poisonous reptilian – like tongue darting in and out of his mouth with rows of razor sharp teeth. Kur's eyes were a red, dagger sharp animal - like slit, which pierced into mine, narrowing. "You don't get it, do you?"

"**Zak Saturday, you ARE Kur."**


	2. Glaring Moments

Kur released his hold on my neck before grabbing me by my shoulders, pinning me against the stone walls of the chamber. "That's a lie!" I choked. "That's impossible!! You're lying!!!" Slowly, Kur twisted his head as he pressed himself against my body, whispering in my ear, "You want answers?" Defiantly, I shouted, "I want the answers!!!" Kur repeated, whispering again, "You want answers?"

Again I murmured, "I think I'm entitled. Because I want the truth!!!"

"You can't handle the truth, Zak Saturday!!! No one can," Kur grinned maniacally before leaning down. I could feel his ragged breaths on my neck. Kur unhinged his jaw, his fangs glinting in the low flames of the torches that hung on the walls. I gasped, crying out as Kur bit down upon the soft tissues of my neck.

I felt paralyzed. There was nothing I could do as the cryptid administered his treatment, blood trickling down my shoulders and arm. Kur was a blood thirsty monster!! I collapsed, clutching my two puncture wounds. "You're mine now, Zak Saturday. Don't try and fight it!" Kur laughed again, his hand pinning me up against the walls once more as he continued evilly, "_**The**__** Mark of Kur**_ is permanent; soon, I will have complete control of your weakling body." I gasped, struggling for oxygen as I choked, attempting to rip his fingers from my neck. Slowly, Kur's image faded away like dust. In the back of my mind, just before I fell unconscious, I heard his demonic cackle.

The monotonous beep of the heart rate monitor in the infirmary of the Saturday Home woke me. With a relieved cry, Mom and Dad embraced me. Fiskerton whooped, dancing with Komodo, who scowled. I winced, the touch of my puncture wounds in the soft tissues of my neck sending a shiver up my spine. I recollected the events before I fell unconscious in The Temple of Kur. "We were so worried, Zak," my weeping mother. "What happened in there?" asked my curious father. Should I tell them? Should I not?

I felt betrayed. Maybe Kur wasn't lying, maybe there was more to me than I had ever hoped or known. Mom and Dad, maybe Fisk, Komodo, even Zon, what if they were keeping a secret from me? My family probably were keeping secrets from me, was it to protect me from the truth? I squirmed; it felt so weird to have another person living inside your body. Why did Kur need the Kur Stone? I had questions, but no answers.

"Get some rest, okay honey?" My mother placed a kiss on my forehead. "Ugh! Mom, I'm not four!"

"Oh, but you're still my little baby in my eyes, and you always will be!" The lights dimmed as I rested my head on the soft pillows. Immediately, I began to regret ever having those negative thoughts about my family.

Night came as quickly as my sleep. I felt weightless and hot, like when you had a fever. Headaches and migraines came periodically, but I stifled them, not wanting to disturb my family. A vast empty void lay before me as I floated. My sense of direction was gone. Then, I found myself face to face with my nightmare. Kur smiled devilishly, slowly choking the life out of me as he unhinged his jaw, bloodthirsty.

_I was holding The Claw, walking down the halls in a dream – like trance. It was like watching television, I had no control! Except there were no tasty snacks. Into the Artifacts section I went, and inside I found our piece of the Kur Stone on display. It was like I was two people, one part of me screaming bloody murder, the other wanting to take our piece of the Kur Stone. With a forceful blow, I shattered the glass case, disarming the alarm system as I did. _

Could it just have been a nightmare? The Code Red alarms woke me as I met in the Artifacts section of the house instinctively. "Doc, did you get a blood sample from the broken glass?"

"Running it through the database right now," replied my father, who was at work. Shattered glass with traces of blood streaks littered the floor; my mother began to sweep them up. My eyes widened as I gasped, "What happened?"

Angrily my dad said, "Someone broke in and took our piece of the Kur Stone. How's the fingerprint scan going, Drew?" She shook her head. "None of them matched to our database." Dad nodded, "Same on blood. Nada for Van Rook and Doyle. The rest seem very unlikely." A tingling sensation woke me from my thoughts as I stared at my hand, horrifically covered in healing scars. "Something wrong, honey?" Immediately, the scars on my hand began to fade away. Frowning, I shook my head. "It's nothing. Who would do something like this?"

Mom and Dad glared at each other, coming upon a final hypothesis. "Doyle." Fisk gave a yawn, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Guilt overwhelmed me, I didn't know what to say, what to do. Twice I blinked; Kur was standing in front of me, juggling the Kur Stone fragment. Was it a hallucination? In the back of my mind, I felt his aura, his presence, his voice. Kur was laughing, mocking me.

"I'm going to look into this," both Mom and Dad said aloud in unison.

My plate of eggs, sausages, and bacon sat cold and untouched; I was sick to my stomach. "What's the matter, Zak? You've barely touched your breakfast." Dejectedly I glanced down, sighing. "It's nothing. Can I go?" Dad nodded.

In Mom's garden, I sat alone. With a twig, I drew stick figures in the dirt, hoping that a solution could pop into my mind would solve my dilemma. The doorbell rang faintly. Were we having guests?" I dragged my feet along to the elevator, trudging my way to the living room. "Hi Uncle Doyle," I mumbled, the energy dying out my voice.

Mom and Dad were arguing, no, shouting. So was Doyle. "I'm out of here!" snapped he. "Get out of my house," roared my dad. I was running, trampling down the stairs. Doyle snorted, "I didn't do anything!"

"I know," said I, saddened. Dad snapped, "Back to your room!"

"Can you believe your old man?" Off Doyle flew on his jetpack, furious. I had to speak up, I had to say something. As I opened my mouth, I felt my body go limp. What was happening?! My body was moving on its own, and I had no control. Kur whispered in my mind, "Told you so…" Kur was taking control of my body! In the lavatories, he glanced into the mirror with a grin. The differences between our appearances were obvious enough, weren't they? Somehow, my canines had enlarged themselves so as they were almost hanging over my lower lip. Along with that, the _**Mark of Kur **_stood out on my neck in the form of a tattoo, almost. Already, my eyes began to change into a faint crimson blood redness, the pupils slightly changing, hinting towards slits. Even the whites of my eyes were bloodshot.

"I don't fail to deliver, Zak Saturday," Kur declared. I mentally screamed, begged in the vast empty void that I floated in, "Give me back my body!" With all the will power I could muster, I fought against the dark forces and aura. Kur began to weaken on the inside and outside. Sweat beads began to slide down his face. Kur washed his face with a confident smile before he grunted, groaning loudly. Yes! Yes!! He was losing control over my body.

All at once, I felt complete control over both my mind and body return. Kur scowled, his image and essence fading away. My knees bucked, I felt weak, and my breath was ragged and harsh. Maybe just a splash of ice cold water, yeah, that's it. With a sudden shock I felt the freezing cold liquid soak my face and shirt. As I glanced into the mirror, I gasped in shock and horror. The changes were already taking place, what could be worse? Curious, I touched my canines. Oh no, they were already beginning to grow, coming from my upper jaw and they hung there, like stalactites. I gulped, swallowing, tasting an irresistible craving for blood lust, tempted to attain it soon.

_The night was dark as I exited the zeppelin on Dr. Miranda Gray's landing pad, throwing and catching the concussion grenade in my hand. Why was I doing this? No! The young Secret Scientist was in for a surprise. We can't do this…! Swinging upon a drainage pipe, I crashed into the large glass windows of the cozy home. The alarms blared. "What the - ?" gasped the puzzled scientist. "Zak Saturday, what on Earth..?!" I pulled the pin, exiting the destroyed home clutching close to my chest another fragment of the Kur Stone. _

I hated these nightmares. They felt so real. I yawned, stretching my arms. Once again, the door bell rang. "Alright, alright, I'm coming!" I yelled, slipping on a pair of slippers. It was Dr. Miranda Gray. With a yawn I said, "Morning!" She stiffened, clearly shocked. "Good morning, Zak. Where are you parents?"

"Who's at the door, Zak?" called Mom and Dad. "Oh, good morning, Miranda," greeted my cheery mother. "Zak, go have some breakfast. Now, what is this about? Come, have some tea!" offered Mom. Briskly Dr. Gray nodded, "Ah. Yes, yes."

As I trudged up the stairs, I heard Dr. Gray say, "This is rather about your son. Has he been troublesome lately?" My Dad and Mom laughed, "Define troublesome." Their voices slowly faded away. Eavesdropping was wrong, but this time it felt so right.

"Fisk. Come and help me into the ventilation shaft!" My furry brother frowned, before obliging. I pried off the loose cover. Fisk and I crawled along quietly, pressing our ears to the dusty floor of the shafts. "What are you doing?"

I scoffed, "Duh. I'm eavesdropping! Now hush, they might hear." Fisk zipped his lips and continued alongside me. " – I can't say much. Please don't be offended, but I believe that your son is the culprit of all this." My eyes widened as I listened to more, "And even my own piece of the Kur Stone is missing! It took me days to find you all; my communications went kaput!"

"Funny, same thing's happened to us. Whoever it is, I'm pretty sure Zak couldn't have done all this. I mean, Zak's just a kid!" My eyes narrowed. Just a kid? Well, this kid's going to show you all, I thought grimly. Of course, the thought was only for a second.

"But how can you be so sure, Drew?"

"Maternal instinct, Miranda. When you have kids, you'll know."

"Hold that thought, Miranda," said my father, who glanced over to Mom. "Yes, honey. I do think we have a few pair of extra ears in this room." My father unhinged the ventilation shaft gate under us.

With a cry and shout, Fisk and I crashed down upon Dad. "I think you should go, Miranda," said Mom over her shoulders. With a curt nod, Dr. Gray left.

"What are we going to do with you two?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Mom glared, "I don't know, Doc. Maybe we should call for adoption?" I gave a goofy smile as Fisk groaned, face palming.

"We'll talk about this later, Zak," my father sternly reminded. I wasn't off the hook yet.

Being grounded was the least thing on my mind at this moment. This was getting dangerous. But somehow, I had managed to convince myself that dreams were only dreams, nightmares were only nightmares. It was all inside my head. But then why were they talking about me? I heard my name clear as day.

Fisk huffed grumpily. "Sorry Fisk. But it's not that we'll die without TV for a week.

**"I had to say, I was a bit sorry for Zak. What was this? Why on Earth would I have feelings of affection towards the Saturday child? It's been eleven years, now this? These mixed emotions…No! Could it be? I shuddered at the thought; could I really care for him? Listen to yourself, Kur! Whatever it was, it would not stop me, nothing would! Not even Zak, and if I had to destroy him, I would have no qualms. I'll dispose of him later. For now…I'll keep him as my pet. Only a few more pieces of the puzzle…"**


	3. The Sharpened Blade

"Zak's been distant lately, Doc." There was an empty silence. "Doc, I'm worried." More silence, almost as if Dad was using his super charged brain to think it over. "Please, say something, honey. Zak isn't being himself…Zak…," Mom sounded like she was about to cry. "Zak doesn't talk…or shout, yell, or scream anymore. Zak doesn't play with his toys or his games…not even with Fiskerton, Komodo, or Zon!"

"Drew, please. Our son is eleven. They say puberty takes place usually around this age," Dad finally said with a heavy sigh. Fiskerton growled, "Let's go. Mom always catches us, and I don't want to get in any more trouble."

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," I cheerfully chirped as I passed by the kitchen table, freezing in my steps. Blinking once, twice, three times. In their hands they held brochures, flyers, leaflets, pamphlets, and slips of a variety of brightly colored sheets. One word seemed to stand out on each of those papers. School. Horrified, I slowly backed away.

Terror overwhelmed me. Mom sweetly smiled, clasping her slender hands together, "Zak, honey. How would you like to…?" Neither of them got a chance to finish their question; I screamed, a shrill cry escaping my lips as I bolted. "Zak?! Come back!"

All my life…! All my life, I've been home schooled. By Mom, by Dad, by high tech computers, I was even tutored by the other Secret Scientists. Why? Why school? Why now? The very thought shook me. Zak Saturday does not go to school! Zak Saturday goes on adventures, fights evil, and wrestles with exotic cryptids all before bedtime!!

"I don't see what all the fuss is about," Fisk growled, drying his fur with a towel. "School sounds okay."

Exploding, I began, "No! No!! School is definitely not okay!!! Popular snobby jerks chew you alive, giant jock bullies shove you in toilet bowls and trashcans and lockers, drooling idiots and geeky nerds!!! What's not to hate?!"

Fisk scrutinized, "You can't judge school from everything you see on T.V.!" Sighing, I sat next to Fisk. "I'm scared, Fisk."

"Now you're just being silly."

Choking, "What if everything changes, Fisk? What if the Secret Saturdays were just the Saturdays? What if we were normal? No more cryptids, no more exciting adventures, no more fighting bad guys…I just don't want things to change." My hands immediately scratched behind his furry ears, my arms wrapped around his waist. "Your fur is so soft," I mumbled. "What's that on your neck?" Fisk asked, his hand brushing against the newly formed_** Mark of Kur**_; Kur's strength over my willpower and body was getting stronger_._ The mere touch stung and burned my skin, as well as my fangs against my lower lip. Somehow, I'd managed to conceal it from view. Fisk's neck was in plain sight, and I could feel the urge inside of me to drink his blood. "Your eyes...," Fisk murmured.

I gulped and swallowed, burying my face deeper into his fur.

"Ah, it'll be okay, Zak," Fisk growled, trying to reassure me. "Try not to think about it." Fisk swept me to his shoulders as he carried me. I lovingly scratched my brother's ears, nuzzling myself to drowsiness. Komodo, Fisk, and Zon joined me in my bed, all snuggling in with me.

With a yawn I said, "Morning. What's for breakfast?" Mom and Dad glanced at each other with a smile. Hungrily, I devoured my greasy eggs and bacon, washing it all down with orange juice.

"Zak," Mom began. "Your father and I have been thinking it over for a while…"

"This is about school, isn't it?" Shocked, Mom inquired, "How did you…?"

"Eavesdropped," I admitted. "Ah…," Dad pinched the bridge of his nose. "We have to get thicker walls in this house."

"Zak, school is a great learning experience!" I snorted. "You can make new friends, learn new things!" I gagged. "Well, c'mon. You're going to help me pick a new car out, Zak."

"What? Since when did the Secret Saturdays drive cars, not airships?" I scowled, my arms crossed in disappointment. "Cars are for boring, normal people who have boring, normal lives!"

Mom sighed, "Zak…" She planted a kiss on my forehead. "Let's go. I know you have a good eye for these things, but let's stay in budget." But I wouldn't let things go. I barricaded the front door, growling, "We don't need a car, Mom. Dad, help me out here, will you?"

"Zak, sometimes the Saturdays are just going to have to fit in with society for a bit, and a car is a basic necessity," Dad insisted. I sputtered, I foamed, I raged, "Fitting in? Fitting in?! Since when did the Saturdays fit in?!! This is all wrong!!!"

"Zak, please don't barricade the door." With spite I dejectedly mumbled, "Why do things have to change? Why now?"

Neither Fiskerton, Komodo, nor Zon could console me. The beautiful scenery of Mom's garden, the sea, the mountainous plains and cliffs, the sky and greenery, they only saddened me even more.

Somewhere, I could hear Kur cackle, mocking me. **"What are you going to do? Cry?" **

Suddenly, my world began to twist, my surroundings began to change, my only source of light hung from the ceiling with a flicker, before dying. In front of me stood Kur. Kur's eyes were crimson red, filled with blood lust as he unhinged his jaw, pinning me to the walls by my shoulders. Kur's fangs glinted in the dim light before my nightmare was shaken back to reality.

My heart was pounding heavily, beads of sweat dripped from my face as I collapsed. Kur towered above me, his image ever so intangible. He cast no shadow! But as Kur attempted to strangle me, a quick burst of light erupted. My cryptid powers!

Kur reeled, wiping the energy blast away. **"You are weak,"** Kur roared with fury. Then, everything was gone. The dull silence of the house was back and here to stay. Inside me, there was a longing; I had to go back to the Temple of Kur.

_Night. The restless wildlife didn't scare me as I waded through the swampy pools of the Amazon jungle. In the night, the Temple of Kur stood out like a beacon of hope. Tonight, I would find myself. At the door, I called upon my cryptid powers, which seemed to pulse and flow through the whole temple. _

_The flames that never died still burned; I grabbed a torch to light the way. Passages upon passages. Behind me, an arrow implanted itself into the stone walls. Fear didn't turn me from my goal. _

_Inside my head, a map was drawn by Kur. Maybe this would answer my questions. Another spear flew towards me, which I barely dodged as another stone struck me in the stomach. With another step, the floor under me gave way. I cried out, hanging on the edge. Under me, a pit of spears with the decayed bodies and skeletons of poor unfortunate souls. _

_In the core of the temple, a sheathed sword was stabbed into stone. _**"Yes…!"** _Cautiously, I approached. My hands shook; this power is immense! The katana seemed to radiate with energy as I grasped it, drawing it with ease._

_The hilt, hand guard; shaped like a lizard, blade; which also had an engraving of a lizard were a gleaming silver, seemed to crackle and radiate with blueish white electricity as I curiously touched the lustrous blade, which gleamed and shined brightly. A large blue crystal was embedded in the blade. The katana was intact, untouched by the elements. On one side of the blade, it read:_ **The Blade of Kur**. _To my surprise, my outfit had changed into a long, tattered silver - white overcoat with aqua - blue trimmings which flowed around my ankles._

_With the flick of the wrist, I swung the blade around, hearing a crisp whoosh as it cut the air. Electricity and static began to accumulate and crackle, radiating from the sharpest point of the blade. There was a low guttural growl, a snarl. Behind me, cryptids began to gather around me. Defensively, I brandished the sword. My cryptid powers seemed almost enhanced! These artifacts… With a rumble, the temple began to shake, debris and pieces of stone shattering. _

_It was collapsing. _

_Within the temple, I began fighting an unknown enemy. Rashly, I began lashing out with my blade. No! I was better than this!! A distant shadow, the flicker of a silhouette; Kur and his snake - tongue, Kur taunted, _**"The way you hold that sword. Pathetic."** _In a fruitless attempt to defend myself, I shielded myself with the sharp point of the katana. _

_Kur was apparently gifted with super human qualities as he lunged _forward_. A devilish smile was on his face. _**"If you're going to be my host, I'm not going to have you clueless."**

"_What are you talking about?" Our voices seemed to echo in this dimension. __**"**_**Battōjutsu, Iaidō, Iaijutsu, and Kenjutsu! To think I'm related to you, Zak Saturday…"**

"**You seem tense, Zak. Why so serious?" **_Kur was a psychotic maniac. _**"Hold still,"** _Kur demanded. _**"I'm thirsty." **_His jaw unhinged; I sighed in relentless defeat. So that was it? Was I just some juice box to this guy, or what?_ _But instead, I felt something strange. _

_All of a sudden, immense pain overwhelmed me. "W – What are you doing?" I fearfully whimpered._** "You are my host, I will not have you a weakling," **_Kur mumbled. _

_With a shout, I fought back. Kur's hold over me was iron; I couldn't do anything. "Please…," I sorrowfully begged. Kur wouldn't respond, and in his glazed eyes I could see something. A part of me…? _

_Finally, Kur retracted his sharp fangs, licking the crimson fluid from his lips before collapsing, his breath ragged and heavy. I came to his aid, almost as if…I cared for him. The thought was repulsive, but it was only for a second. _**"…If you are going to be my heir…I…might as well…give you everything I have…" **

"_What are you talking about?" A moment after the words escaped my lips, I screamed in agony as I felt my body change. In the flickering light of the flames from the torches, my shadow cast by the dim light began to morph and change in the silhouette of a lizard – like dragon. _

_Behind my eye lids, I could feel a burning sensation, almost flickering. _**"Ninety – nine point ninety nine percent of who I am, who I was, is inside you now, Zak Saturday." **

"_And the point zero one?" I inquired, wrapping Kur's arm around my shoulder as I helped him to my feet. _**"The last of my being. Why…are you helping me?" **_Even I didn't know the answer to that question. Kur continued to explain, _**"Everything that was apart of me is now yours. My superhuman qualities, skills, the darkest of my memories…" **

"_Why are you being so nice to me?" said I with distaste. Kur had a dark look in his eyes. "You're a pretty good liar, aren't you?" I spat._

_Kur began to chuckle to himself. _**"Yes…and no. Not **_**everything**_** was a lie, Zak Saturday. By the way, this is your first form. Remember that." **

In the back of my mind, I remembered those words: **...who I am, who I was...**

_Dr. Arthur Beeman, a man that I truly despised. I don't even know why I didn't start with him in the first place! Robotic guards programmed to greet visitors and guests were quickly eliminated with the swiftness of my _**Blade of Kur**_. Alarms began to blare as I bypassed the security, destroying his communications satellite. INTRUDER ALERT rang the alarms, more robotic guards and mecha surrounding me. I was unforgiving, my katana piercing the titanium metal. In one terrifying blast of energy, they fell. _

_Beeman lay on the ground, clutching his ribcage. "You won't get it! Don't even try!" protested he. His Kur Stone piece was behind a vault. I raised the blade, stabbing it into the door, which pierced without difficulty.  
_

"Ah!!" I jumped up, my head bumping against the ceiling. "Ouch…"

"Oh, Zak, I'm sorry I woke you like that! Are you alright?" I rubbed my bruise and nodded. "Look outside," Mom whispered with a grin. With a yawn, I glanced outside.

"Whoa!!! You got a Corvette?!"

Fiskerton woke, peering out the window alongside me. "Think about it, Fisk. In five more years, I get to drive that." In the reflection of my mirror, I could see more changes throughout my body. My canine fangs were beginning to enlarge even more. Strangely, the whites of my eyes began leaning towards a deep grayness. My chocolate brown eyes had a shade of a tint of crimson redness, the pupils sharpening even more into a slit. The _**Mark of Kur**_ had changed shape on my neck, extremely sensitive to the touch.

"We're taking it out for a spin, okay? I might be a tad rusty on my driving skills, but hey. How hard could it be? I mean, it's not as complicated as the airship…"

The brakes screeched as Mom weaved through freeway traffic at a dangerous speed. Horns blared and honked as Dad and I held on for our lives. "Honey!! Maybe I should drive!!!" shouted Dad, looking very ill.

"Its okay, Doc! I think I'm getting the hang of it!" With a slam on the brakes, Mom turned the wheel to the left in a one eighty drift as we glided into a parallel park. "That wasn't so bad, right?" Mom smiled, pleased with herself.

Dad vomited into a trashcan as I straightened my hair. "Where are we…? Oh no! Oh no, no, no!!" I shrieked. Mom and Dad both grabbed my legs. "You aren't getting out of this one, Mister."

"It was a dirty little trick! Everything! Waaah! My parents hate me! My parents don't love me! Help!! Sabotage!!!" I screamed and shouted. My parents fought on. "Zak, please don't make a scene!"

"Zak, let's be rational about this! Hey, pull a leg, will you?" asked Dad to a passerby. Mom dragged me along by her ankle. "Let go, Zak!" I bawled, "Please don't make me go to school!!"

"You're making a scene, Zak," whined Mom. "I'll get the gag," shouted Dad. "You get the rope."

"Aaaaaaah!!" I screamed. "Aagh! Ah!! You guys are crazy, man! You're freaking crazy!!"

**You know, reviews sure make my day a whole lot better. **


	4. Feelings of Gratitude

Mom sped down the highway at a dangerous speed. "I hope you're happy," Mom chided, furious.

Dad added, "And I still can't believe our son got himself out of those ropes, I'm impressed." Mom shot Dad a glare. And I pouted, crossing my arms. Fiskerton, Zon, and Komodo all greeted me as I entered our large estate, "How'd it go?"

A nuclear explosion tore the Pacific Coast to pieces and shards. "You guys knew?!" Komodo hissed and went intangible, Zon cawed and flew away. Fisk made a fruitless attempt to spring away, but I tackled the eight foot tall gorilla cat. "How could you guys?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

In unison, Mom and Dad scolded, "No rough housing you two." Cocking my head as I grinned I began, "Oh, don't worry. We won't be rough housing anytime soon, especially Fisk. Ha – ha…" Fiskerton screamed in absolute terror as I dragged him by his feet, cackling as I did so. Again, I was tempted to sink my teeth into his neck, but shook the thought off.

I was completely absorbed in textbooks from the Saturday's personal library collection, my nose stuck in multiple textbooks. Mom was an avid reader; obviously, as she was the matriarch of the family. "Zak? You're reading?!" exclaimed Mom, surprised. From the laboratory came a loud crash of beakers and other sensitive equipment, where Dad was carefully and systematically searching through both incidents of Dr. Miranda Gray and our missing pieces of the Kur Stone. To tell you the truth, I was rather relieved they haven't found out yet.

If any of the Secret Scientists found out, including Mom and Dad... Because there were these things my parents put on the line.

Family. And what would happen if I shattered our family's trust?

Duty to the Secret Scientists. The Secret Scientists weren't just in the U.S. They were all around the globe, from Europe to Asia to South America to North America. They wouldn't be able to deny my arrest.

Even if I was their son.

But it wasn't like I did those things, right? They were only dreams! But denying the possibility still worried me.

"Wait, Zak's reading?" called Dad. "I'll go get the camera!!" I rolled my eyes groaning loudly as I left. My eyes scanned across the room, searching for something, anything. Finally, my eyes lay upon **The Blade of Kur**, sheathed. Quietly, I drew the katana. Instantly, I realized something was different.

The **Blade of Kur** had changed.

The hilt, hand guard; now shaped like a dragon, and blade; which also had an engraving of a dragon were all now a dark purple - maroon along with a deep acid yellow crystal was embedded in its core, seemed crackle and radiate with purple - maroon electricity, gleamed and shined brightly as my hands moved across its lustrous and glossy exterior. At the sight, my canine fangs began to enlarge and sharpen to their full length with my fully completed crimson blood red eyes, the pupils finally in their complete form of animal - like slits. Even the whites of my eyes were almost completely black as the night. Crying out as the _**Mark of Kur**_ reacted, I winced as it changed its form again.

**"Impressive, you're maturing at a rapid rate with your powers. Already at your second form! It won't be long now before you bypass all five of them."**

Now, "Ouch!" My thumb had a deep cut where I had drawn blood, a small drop slowly spreading across the grooves of the dragon engraving across the blade. The response seemed to ignite a purple - maroon flame. Instinct took over as I lashed out in a vertical slice; a wave of energy pulsed as they were released from my blade, shaped somewhat in a dragon form.

Nothing happened. "Hah, and I thought…" Moments later, a whole section of my room was torn apart.

"Zak, what was that?" called my concerned parents. "Uh, nothing! Fisk, stop messing around!!" How was I going to fix this one? Fiskerton emerged from the shower wearing a pink bath robe soaking wet, grumbling, "What on Earth was that?"

Fisk simply stared, then roared, "Who are you?" Even I shouted in surprise; I had completely changed, it wasn't very pretty. My outfit had become a slightly tattered long purple overcoat with black trimmings along the side, flowing around my ankles. I tightly gripped the **Blade of Kur** in it's black diamond sheath.

"Uh, hey Fisk."

"…Zak! What did you do?" growled Fiskerton. I was aghast, "What? I didn't do anything!" Fiskerton tapped his foot on the ground, his furry arms crossed, expecting an answer.

**Lie…**

_What?_

**"You heard me, Zak Saturday. Lie."**

"Uh…I'm trying out a new look. So, you like?" Fisk, distracted by the change in subject, rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Your hair could use a bit of…hey! Quit trying to change the subject. How do you explain this giant hole? And where'd you get that sword? Mom doesn't let you play with sharp things, remember?" I shrugged.

"Fisk did it!!" I shouted. As soon as I spoke those words, my change of heart seemed to disintegrate. "Cool…"

Curiosity got the best of me; I went to virtual reality training. Difficulty was on a dangerous scale, if Mom and Dad knew I was doing this… The counter read: 3, 2, and 1. In large quantities, enemies of all shapes and sizes had spawned, all around me, all three hundred and sixty degrees. I winced as my thumb bled onto the grooves of the katana, an aqua blue flame lit. Lunging forward with the katana drawn in my right hand, the sheath in my left, I gave a vertical slice, following with an uppercut, and a spin.

The first wave was down, onto the next! Enemies battered me with ruthlessness as I was thrown, blows striking my body as they struck me. Virtual reality was almost like reality…

"How about this on for size?" A wave of energy rippled from my sword, completely decimating the ranks of enemies.

VIRTUAL SIMULATION OVER.

Eventually, I collapsed from extreme exhaustion. There was a burning pain, a sensation that ached inside me. "Gah!" I coughed out bodily fluids, blood and saliva trickling down my cheek; it was almost like I was being choked.

"Zak? Zak?! Where are you? Its supper time!" called Mom. Oh no, how do you hide a six foot long katana? Ugh! There are no hiding spots in this room! As soon as the thought registered, the katana began to glow faintly at first, growing brighter and brighter as out of nowhere, a blue crystal embedded itself into the core of the blade, before it dissipated.

"There you are Zak!" I jumped. "H – Hi…Just doing some training, Mom." To tell you the truth, I was getting a bit irked. It was almost as if my parents had to have their eye on me twenty four seven.

_The Arizona desert sand beneath me crunched with each step as I approached Dr. Henry Cheveyo's laboratory. With spite, I knew that this time the Secret Scientist's had taken even further precautions, splitting up that cursed Kur Stone into even smaller pieces. Unlike my previous attacks, this one was in broad daylight."Zak Saturday! What a surprise, I had no idea your family was coming to visit..." greeted a sweaty and exhausted Henry Cheveyo. _

_"Where is your piece of the Kur Stone?" _

_"Why?"_

_My blade pressed against his neck, I hissed, "Shut up. Take me there." Henry had taken quite the security measures as we passed through coded doors in Mesa Laboratory, with elaborate retina scannings and DNA tests. There, in a lazer trip wired floor, finally disabled, lay the Kur Stone on display. Brutally, I smashed his head onto a table. Alive, but unconsious. My forked tongue licked my sharp pointed fangs. Just the way I like it. Quickly, I grabbed Henry Cheveyo's piece of the stone before escaping, security alarms blaring as I tore apart his communications.  
_

"I can't believe we're doing this again, you know I'm going to put up a fight," I snarled, tied up in the back seat of the Corvette. "Look, Mister. Either you come willingly or I ground you, Fiskerton, Zon, and Komodo for the rest of your lives under our roof from T.V., video games, and dessert," Mom threatened. I stuck my tongue out at her, knowing she wouldn't be able to see. However, Mom adjusted her rearview mirror and said with a dangerous tone, "Don't push it."

A large sign chiseled from concrete read: WELCOME TO OCEANSIDE VIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL. Already, it sounded boring. "Mom…Dad…," I whined.

"Hello. I'm Solomon Saturday, we scheduled an appointment," declared Dad to the elderly front desk lady, who looked like she was bored out of her mind. The woman had a tendency to lick her index finger as she browsed through a magazine. As she glanced up, staring at my silver hair.

"Ma'am, we do not allow extreme hair colors here," the front desk lady said, pursing her lips. "Oh, don't worry. It's completely natural." Miss…Thornwood looked like she didn't believe Mom.

Ms. Thornwood gave us the lowdown about the school, its history, curriculums, awards, education, sports, dumb stuff like that. It was only a tour, right? My only goal as of now was to get out of here alive. She piled on the paper work, Mom and Dad wheezed as we climbed a set of stairs; I made no effort to help.

"Zak, son. Could you help me out here?" Dad wheezed. I shrugged, swiping a thin math textbook from the top of the pile. "You're welcome," I hissed.

"Every period, we have a three minute passing period. It's important that your son or daughter gets to each class on time…" With a ring of the bells, the once desolate and empty halls of Oceanside View were filled with clamoring students of all kinds.

A group of very chatty teenagers glanced at me, scanning over my appearance before bursting into laughter. My face went red out of embarrassment. "Mom...," I began to complain and whine. Mom hushed me, "Not now, Zak."

"Textbook fees have been paid, papers are filled, Zak, you are going to middle school! You start next week!!" Mom said with a squeal. I gasped, before my eyes rolled back into my head as I fainted.

"How could you do this to me?" sobbed I at home. "Please don't be over dramatic, Zak," said Dad.

Fisk also mocked me, pretending to cry.

"For eleven years, I've never been to school! Now you just throw me in there, thinking it's going to be alright?!"

"Zak…"

"Well, it won't be! You'll see!!" I ran upstairs, tired and angry. Mom and Dad just couldn't understand my situation. They've never been to school either; they've lived practically their whole life in isolation from the rest of the world, from society until I was born. And for eleven years, I've lived my life in isolation from the rest of the world, from society.

They could make me go, they could force me all they wanted, but not against my will! They weren't going to make me enjoy it, either! **"I believe you are taking this too far, Zak Saturday…"**

"Yeah, well you don't understand, do you?!"

"**No…I don't,"** admitted Kur. Hugging my knees, I continued to talk to Kur. "I just wish they would listen…"

"**You can't imagine how many times I've felt the same way, Zak. I had parents too, you know." **

"I know that! Everyone has a mom and dad."

"**Ah, yes. But not everyone gets to grow up the same way. I had a mother and a father…but they had separated when I was young…"**

"You mean divorce?" Memories from the past incidents brought me back, quick to accuse. "Stop trying to get sympathy from me to soften me up, it's not going to work."

"**There are things I lie about; this is one of the very few things I don't!" **Kur dejectedly sighed. **"But I can't force you to accept me." **

"Look, I don't want to accept you. Just leave!" Kur smiled grimly, spitting, **"If I told you the truth, Zak, you'll know why I just can't." **I was tired of his excuses. "Tell me, tell me why!" I was close to tears, I didn't know why.

"**As I've said before, you wouldn't be able to handle the truth, Zak. It's too much to handle." **Kur kicked at my legs, tripping me forward as I fell into an embrace.

"**I've been fighting…for so long…Put it down. All my life, I've been fighting and I didn't know why. It's about time I've stopped." **

Whispering, **"Don't worry; I'll still be here…"**

Even I was puzzled by my own emotions; they were emotions that I couldn't understand, so strange. . Yet a part of me still cared for him; was it from the close bond that had formed? I couldn't deny the thought, it had been lingering for so long inside of me, slowly growing day by day.


	5. First Day

_My katana glinted in the full moon of midnight, a trail of blood slowly spreading across the grooves of the blade. The darkness; my eyes adjusted to the dim light as I swung full force into the large window, the glass shattering into pieces. Alarms blared as I used acrobatics, disconnecting each and every one of those security cameras, tearing apart my friend's communications. Paul was by far the friendliest Secret Scientist, I hated to do this. _

_"Zak?" I heard the young voice of Dr. Paul Cheechoo. Everything felt so real… "What are you…? Don't do this, Zak!" The Secret Scientist barely got to speak as I choked him unconscious. Wait a minute! It wasn't Kur that was doing this!! _

_I was. _

"Wake up, Mr. Sunshine!" exclaimed a cheery Mom. I groaned loudly, pulling my blankets over my head with, "Mom! Go away…" Why was she holding a backpack?

Sternly, Mom reminded me, "Today's Monday, and you have to go to school." I cracked an eye open. "It's seven o' clock, Mom!" I whined.

"And you have to be there at seven fifty – five, Zak. Get up!" Mom suddenly pulled my blankets out from under me.

"Waaah! Ooof!" I rubbed my sore head, growling furiously.

"Mm, sorry honey. But you have to get to school. And as they say, the early bird catches the worm!" Visibly disgusted, I slid down the banister to the kitchen. Odd… "Dad? Where's breakfast?"

"Make it yourself, Zak." Fisk, Komodo, and Zon all had a smug grin written all over their beaks and face; they already had their breakfast. I grabbed a box of Cheerios, which was definitely not the mood I was in. Mostly a sour one, actually. "Zak, get dressed. You're going to be late!"

"Oh no, Zak. Weapons aren't allowed at school," Mom reminded, snatching away The Claw. "You could get expelled." And I almost had a great idea, before Mom squashed it like a bug. Deep inside, I only wished when the time arose, I would be able to defend myself with the **Blade of Kur**. To tell you the truth, I'd rather wake up each and every day to train with my new abilities, powers, and weapons. I've always strived to be the best! The strongest, the fastest, not that anyone ever really notices, either. Proving myself was going to take some work.

Ugh. As if I wanted to be there in the first place, but I wasn't going to start something in the morning. I grumpily brushed past Mom, who remarked, "Someone's moody today." And my outfit showed; a black hooded jacket with the Secret Scientists' logo written across it in silver, a black shirt over a white long sleeved sweater, fingerless orange gloves, and black jeans with a chain hanging loosely didn't exactly spell happy. I wouldn't dare look someone in the eye today.

"Zak, you look terrible." I shrugged, "It's in style." Of course, that was a lie. "Want me to drive you to school?" asked Mom, unaware of my attitude.

"Oh yes, please," I rolled my eyes sarcastically. Of course, I could just walk to school with superhuman speed, but hey! Still, I began clinging for my life as Mom sped down the street aggressively. Boing! I bounced all around the car, about to be sick. Luckily, I was already at Oceanside View Junior High as Mom parallel parked, turning the wheel a full three hundred and sixty degrees, slamming on the brakes. I gasped for air as I crashed out the window, kissing the beautiful dew soaked grass. "Land!"

"Bye, sweetie!" Mom blew me a kiss as other students gazed in awe, blown away. I flipped up my hood in shame, embarrassed.

Slamming my locker shut, I examined my schedule. First period was Earth Science, like Mom and Dad didn't teach me enough about that!

Rounding a corner, I crashed head onto a group of well dressed, chatty students. The head girl screeched as her books fell the ground. "Ugh! Watch it, loser!"

Immediately, my response was of anger.

"I haven't seen you around here before, you must be new." Her aqua – blue eyes sparkled with glitter, the horrible stench of perfume on her body wafted to my nose.

"Well, I'm Melanie Cohen, and you'd better watch out. But since you're cute, I won't humiliate you." Melanie whipped her head around, a mouthful blonde hair smacking me right in the face as Melanie and her group of friends marched away. Did she just call me cute?

Behind me, a nasally voice chirped, "I see you've already met Melanie and her group of friends." An acne – ridden face, a tucked in polo shirt and trousers. "Hi. I'm Albert…"

There was no way I could pull it off. Only the stupidest of the stupid wouldn't be able to notice it, and I had already met the stupidest of the stupid in this dumb Oceanside Middle School. How could I retract these giant razor sharp fangs? And these eyes of mine... Could I have said it was some disease was the reason that the whites of my eyes were the blackest of blacks? Or I had color changing contact lenses was why I had piercing crimson blood red eyes?

The incessant ring of the bells chimed throughout the school, students filing into their classroom in an orderly fashion. I sat down, trying to shrink myself, or to look as small as possible. A young, brightly colorfully dressed woman exclaimed, "It seems we have a new student today, class!" Shrinking myself down even more didn't seem to work very well.

"Care you introduce yourself?"

I shook my head, "I'd rather not…"

"Oh, please, I insist!"

"Please," I closely examined her name written across the white board, "Mrs. Reed. I really, really don't want to." Everyone seemed to glare at me, expectant. "Uh, I'm Zak Saturday. Hey."

"Did you dye your hair silver?" asked a curious girl as Mrs. Reeds explained the science of seismic occurrences. "Nope. Born with it," I grinned proudly, forgetting myself. "Cool…"

"Alicia, turn around, and Zak, please pay attention." Alicia had thin framed black glasses, with her brown – blonde hair tied up in a pony tail, while wearing a conservative black tank top and jeans. For the rest of class, I busied myself with daydreaming.

"¡Hola, clase! Nosotros tener a nuevo estudiante, y su llamas Zak Saturday." The class chimed, "¡Hola, Zak!" Simply dumbfounded, I stared. The only thing I understood was my name. "El acabar de hacer algo traslado el a_quí_y hora." Puzzled, I raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Does anyone here speak English?!"

Miss Sanchez translated politely, "Hello class. We have a new student today, and his name is Zak Saturday! He has just transferred here." With a chuckle, Miss Sanchez also reassured, "Don't worry, Zak, you'll get the hang of Spanish." After that, I wasn't so sure.

An intoxicating aroma filled my nose as I entered Culinary Arts, run by a very lean middle aged woman, Mrs. Evans. Perhaps this would be the one class I would enjoy. Yum!

My mind began to wander off as Mr. John began to preach on and on about ancient China, which I already knew enough of to last me a life time. How I wished to be able to wield my katana blade again!

"**It is a daitō**, **idiot!" **

"What the heck? I thought you weren't talking to me!"

Back and forth, I argued constantly with Kur inside my mind. **"I never said that! And I was, but it irritated me when you kept calling my daitō a katana! It is a Japanese long sword, and do not you forget that!"**

"Well, excuse me if I didn't know ancient Sumer had trade with ancient Japan. It never occurred to me that you would have a special katana…"

**"Daitō! And yes, we did, during the Silk Road." **

"Whatever. Talk to me. I'm bored."

"**Entertain yourself, you disgust me." **

"And what's with the attitude?" Silence. That was my obviously cue to continue, "So, tell me!"

"**What?"**

"_C'mon! Bore me to death, tell me everything!"_

"**There is no doubt that you lack high level intellect, thankfully, I have granted you with such." **

"_Hey!"_

"**Do you wish for me to explain myself or should I stop? Good. Now, what I will give you is your level of determination and will, Zak Saturday as well as your masterful hand to hand combat."**

"_Aha…"_

"**Silence! Now I have gratefully endowed you with enhanced including your cryptid powers, durability, strength, speed, stamina, and Master Expert Swordsmanship skills, to aid you in your use of your daitō. Even control of the element, Lightning!" **

"_That's it? And the crystals?" _

"**Those are sacred family heirlooms passed down through generations of my family. I have passed it down to you, Zak Saturday. Keep it safe!" **In some way, I was touched. To trust me with something so precious… Kur must have really trusted me, or cared for me, to entrust me with something important. More importantly, I felt glee with my new acquired skills.

"Mr. Saturday!" I awoke from my mental conversation with Kur. "Please explain to me how did ancient Sumerians communicate?" I shrugged, "I thought we were on ancient China. You tell me!" There was an outrageous burst of laughter at my small joke.

"No, no, seriously. Clay tablets with cuneiform," I stated with a large grin. Mr. John seemed to accept my answer. You could almost hear a pin drop in the room, along with the shuffle of papers and the scribble of pencils. Keeping a very laidback outlook, I glanced at the clock, which seemed to move agonizingly slow.

Tick – tock.

Tick – tock.

Tick – tock.

Tick…tock. Perhaps I should take…a nap… Ring!!! I jumped at the bell. Lunchtime, and I was starving. I mounted the banister of the stairs that led down to the cafeteria. Usually, this was against the rules, but rules were meant to be broken.

...And no one was looking.

Now that I think about it, I wonder whoever thought up that line…

A shrill cry shook me from my thoughts. Books, writing tools, and papers scattered across the floor. "Oh, it's just you, Alicia," I dully acknowledged. Her best friend, Margaret, jumped up and made a scene. "Is that how you greet a girl? Oh, it's just you?" Her attempt to imitate me was laughable, but instead, I held out my hand for Alicia to hold.

Alicia's face turned red as her thick framed glasses. Was she blushing? "Oh! Oh! I'm fine, don't worry about me," she sang, scooping up everything into her back. "Yup! Yup! Yup! I'm fine, fit as a fiddle, let's go Margaret!"

Cocking my head as I raised an eyebrow, I muttered to myself, "Girls are weird…"

"You've got quite a mean face, Zak," flatly said Margaret. **"Where do you think you're going?"**

_"Uh, to eat?"_

**"No, you are not." **

_"Yes I am?"_

**"No, you are not. You are going to familiarize yourself with your new powers and abilities."**

"_I am?"_ The thought intrigued me. _"Fine, but weapons aren't allowed at school. And there's no where…"_

"**Who shall dare say my daitō is a weapon? It is a graceful tool of the noble, which requires great patience and skill to master!"**

"_Ah? Already bored. I think the back of the school is off limits…"_

"**Good enough." **

I paused as I unleashed the daitō, the air crackling with intense lightning. I swung the daitō aimlessly before it began to glow. In unison, Kur and I gasped in shock.

"_**What the?!"**_

Lighting pulsed throughout my body as I screamed, I tried not to move. There was a blinding eruption of light, the end result was a fluctuation of the static electricity around me. As it died down, I could see something was different, anew. Once more, the **Blade of Kur** had changed.

In my right hand, I wielded a new weapon, the hilt, the hand guard; shaped in the form of two dragons coiling around each other, the blade; which had an engraving of two dragons coiling around each other and also a deep crimson red crystal embedded in its core, were all now a deep dark midnight black, seemed to crackle and radiate with crimson - red electricity. Again, my hands began to move across the lustrous blade, which gleamed and shined brightly. My outfit had changed again to a long tattered black overcoat with crimson trimmings, which began to flow in the wind.

"You have terrible taste…"

"**Silence, insolent fool! Enjoy this power while you can, this is only your third form." **Both Kur and I were both surprised and shocked at our transformation.

_The night was falling, the gentle cool breeze comforting. Tonight, I would strike. As everyone said:_

**_Only a few more pieces of the puzzle. _**


	6. Blunt Edge

**Review, PLEASE. **

In front of me, Kur materialized donning my long – sleeved, ankle – length silver coat with aqua – blue lining closed at his chest. At that moment, I held my new **Blade of Kur** in a defensive position, the tip of the blade prodding at Kur's neck threateningly. Oddly, Kur only had a strange and mysterious overall appearance; Kur's crimson eyes seemed to be closed in narrow slits, along with his wide mocking smile. Kur held his hands up, unarmed.

"Oh! Why do you seem so unhappy to see me, Zak Saturday?" Kur's smile grew wider in an almost psychotic and maniacal fashion, his mocking tone irking. There was a single stray bang of black hair shaped like a lightning bolt on his face.

"You seem pleased," I dully noted out loud, sheathing the **Blade of Kur** as I did so, tightly gripping it in my right hand.

"Of course, **brother**!" My blood ran cold as the word escaped Kur's lips, which was still in a wide smile.

"Don't call me that," I angrily spat, forcibly grabbing the collar of Kur's coat.

"Why are you here?" I queried, releasing my death grip on his tasteless outfit.

In an inhuman speed, I unsheathed my weapon, the sharpest face of the blade pressing against Kur's cheek, drawing blood as I made a rapid incision.

Only Kur only laughed in a pleased manner, licking and tasting a drop of blood as it dripped down his face, "You're so funny! And of course I am pleased, **brother**," Kur grinned at the sight of my pale face as his lips tasted the word. "You've matured greatly. I'm so proud of you!" sang Kur.

"Is that it?" I purred. Kur grabbed my jaw, twisting it to my shadow, which was now in the shape of a lizard – like dragon. "Your inner cryptid is also showing. It will not be long, I promise…"

I held my hand up against the blinding sun, my dragon shadow following suit. "Very soon, **brother**. Very soon…" Kur began to walk away with a very queer, "Bye bye!" As Kur rounded a corner, I chased after him. "Hey! Where are you going? Don't you have a place to stay?"

"Ah, since when did you care, Zak?" Again, a devilishly insane and psychotic smile was written across his face like a maniac. Choking, "N – No! Who said I did?"

"Wonder why you asked," Kur thoughtfully said, rubbing his chin. The words were stuck in my throat, I couldn't speak. "Could it be…that you care for me? **Brother?**" Kur seemed to enjoy, relish my rage, my anger. Soon, he simply disappeared. With a mental flex, the **Blade of Kur **dissipated from my grasp, as well as my black long overcoat with crimson lining.

Kur's words were still inside my mind. Using an Encyclopedia, I looked up the word: Brother. There were many different definitions, but I froze as I lay my eyes on a very outstanding explanation: One who shares a common ancestry, allegiance, character, or purpose with another or others.

Perhaps Kur was somehow…related to me in some way? Why was it so hard to remember?!

"_So many questions… I'd hate to have to rid of such a bright, curious mind, especially of my own _**reincarnation**_ from the modern 21st century."  
_

It couldn't possibly be! Kur was lying!! There was no way…It's impossible…Inconceivable! The mere thought made me ill. My hand trembled with the thought. "Ugh! You disgust me, Anderson!" I heard a familiar voice say. I snorted to myself, where did these guys think they were? In high school? "Your innuendo is excessive," Alicia hissed with venom.

With a huff, Alicia began to stomp away before the boorish child blocked her way with a rowdy shout, "Hold on!" But already I began to take action as I dangerously approached the two. "Leave her alone!" I snapped, getting in between the two.

"What are you? Her boyfriend?" The thought was conceivable, almost laughable. "Nope. Get away," I took a firm stand as people began to stare. "What's wrong with you? Quit staring at me with those eyes, you're creeping me out, Vampire Freak!" Great, my first nickname. Vampire Freak.

"Thank you for your chivalry, Zak Saturday," Alicia whispered. Chivalry? Whatever that meant; I'd have to look it up later. Anderson looked ready to pound the daylights out of me, but hey; if I could survive Argost and extremely dangerous cryptids known to man, couldn't I survive school?

Just walk away. This guy wasn't worth it, but my fist was itching to strike back. Just walk away. Finally, my body actually listened to my brain, I simply left. "What? You're going to run away now?" Anderson was tempting me, trying to provoke me! I pulled my fist back, ready to let loose.

I stopped in my tracks; what would happen?

Backing off, I mumbled under my breath, barely audible, "It's not worth it," unsure if I was saying it to that Anderson jerk or myself. Meanwhile, I busied myself with the class pet using my enhanced cryptid powers. If only I could rid myself of the faint orange glowing flickering behind my eyes.

The guinea pig known as Horace leapt over his boundaries. All chaos had broken loose in a frenzied fit. "Horace has broken loose!" screeched the teacher. Obviously enjoying this, I sat calmly.

Point of View: Drew Saturday

Ugh, Zak's room is a mess! Why on Earth do I both even trying to tell this boy? The phone rang with a heavy sound, like the bells were tolling. "Hello?" I said cheerfully, dusting my antiques. "Ma'am. Argost...He's escaped!" The phone fell to the floor, cluttering. Not what a mother wanted to hear on her day off.

"Drew? Drew, what's wrong?" called my husband, concerned. My hands shook fearfully, terror and horror enveloping my worst nightmares. "Ma'am? Ma'am! Please respond..."

Point of View: Zak Saturday

After the chaos had settled, I prepared to leave for my last period. There was a daunting premonition inside me. His presence, it couldn't be. Argost? Along with Munya. There was no doubt, without a doubt, that Argost knew. Only Kur and I knew the location of the Kur Stone. Since that wasn't possible, he wanted the next best thing.

Us.

There was an explosion that shook the very structure of Oceanside View. Debris and rubble shook, littering the concrete. Instinct took over, overcoming every sense of fear and terror. There was no possibility of defeating Argost and Munya on my own. Or was there? Time and time again, I had proven myself. Now, I had more power than I could have ever imagined, wasn't I ready?

"Ooh! I think I need to go to the Nurse's Office," I groaned loudly. Hook, line, and sinker, they all fell for it. Don't fail me now, I need you the most! In my hands erupted a bright light, revealing the deep dark midnight black **Blade of Kur**. My ankle length tattered black overcoat with red trimmings completed my transformation.

From behind my hidden location, I revealed myself to Argost. V. V. Argost was still chalky faced and pale, wrinkles on his face on hands hinting at age. As his yellow piercing eyes lay upon me, his wrinkles seemed to crease and fold. My crimson blood red slitted eyes glanced back surrounded by the black whites of my eyes. "Argost," I growled, snapping my fangs. Yet something inside of me anticipated this battle. I grinned widely, exposing my sharp fangs.

"Young Saturday, how are you?" Argost smiled at me with anger and pleasure, reaching into his Mega Tooth Shark Skin. Unsheathing the **Blade of Kur**, I could already see the fear in Munya's eyes. Argost was unfazed, "This is very new. It seems Zak has gained some new skills…" Electricity began to crackle across the blade, blood from my thumb slowly spreading across the grooves of the sword.

My tattered ends of my red trimmed overcoat began to trail across the dusty concrete. "What do you want, Argost?" I yelled, tightly gripping the hilt. In a mad dash, I launched forward. Munya roared in his half spider form. My blade cut through his airborne webs with ease.

The tip of the blade piercing from Munya's lower back, dripping with an unknown substance. My eyes widened, identifying the black whites of my eyes even more as my hand shook as I sliced the katana from his torso. Against my will, I unleashed a full spin strike across his neckline, then two vertical slices down upon Munya's shoulders. This sense of brutality, I never knew I had inside me. Munya's blood began to soak and drip to the ground before he collapsed.

Vicious cryptids began to surround me, with a wave of my hand, they stood down at bay. Their eyes began to glow faintly, surrounding on Munya, on the verge of death, and Argost.

"Violent, aren't we?" Argost cackled, holding up his shark skin in defense; I smiled, my fangs protruding from my lower lip. My blade cut through it without haste, scathing Argost's arm. In self defense, Argost threw acid. Quickly dashing away using my speed to my full potential, I was heartless as I brought the blade down upon his shoulders.

His cry of agony followed as I slashed at his back, stabbing him in the gut. In the end, my whole entire katana was soaked, drenched in blood. My blood ran cold. Above me, Argost's vehicle hovered, his lackeys at the ready to save their master. Dragging the edge of the blade across, I sheathed the **Blade of Kur**.

From behind the rubble, the student populous began to stare and whisper. I scowled, "What're you staring at?"

In the bathrooms, I changed back. The chaos had died down, the police and firefighters had arrived. Mom and Dad both maneuvered their way through the tight crowds, their bodysuits dripping wet with sea water, seaweed hanging loosely on their body. "Zak? Zak! Are you alright?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. Let's go," I hissed. "I hate this place."

A quiet voice, almost a soft whisper said, "So that is where Zak gets his hair." I turned around, gazing towards… "Alicia?"

My charming Dad gave a curt nod, "Hello. Do you have any idea what is going on, err, Alicia?"

She shrugged, "Your guess is just as good as mine, I suppose. Supposedly, a chalky pale faced man bombed our school. However, a young warrior fought him off bravely." I squinted; her formal way of talking was a bit odd.

Wiping a faint trace of blood on my pant leg, I dragged both of my parents out to the Airship, conveniently parked at a nearby forest. "Argost was after you, Zak." Both of my parents were dead serious about the situation. For weeks, Argost's activities had been out of the ordinary and low profile.

"You're in danger, Zak," Mom sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. Dad came to comfort her, but she pushed him away, putting her head in hands. "Why can't Zak just have a normal life?" Fisk, Komodo, and Zon heartily greeted me; they had missed me. "Just what is he up to? First burglaries for our pieces of the Kur Stone, now this." Dad was equally frustration with the situation.

My automatic doors opened to my room, unlocking my closet doors as a shrill cry escaped my lips. "Aaah! You! Why?! How?! What?! When?! Where?!" Kur lay upon a makeshift mattress and pillow on the shelf of my closet.

Kur's eyes were still closed, his lips curving into a demented smile. "Can't you ever finish your sentences, Zak? Hello to you too, hero," grinned he. "I've been meaning to stay here for a while, and I must say, your wardrobe is severely limited."

"How on Earth did you get in here? Who let you in?! I'm going to kill you! Wait until Mom and Dad find out!!"

"Idiot, they can't see me. Now, I've been thinking of an alias, a name; if you will. How about David? Dahveed? Dahveed Saturday…Hm. It does have a ring to it." Amazing, Kur was completely ignoring my questions and threats.

"Has a bit of a Jewish accent to it, but I think Dahveed will do."

"Why are you here?! Answer me!!"

I roared, dragging Dahveed, I mean Kur to the hard metallic floors of my room. "Now, now, don't be roughhousing,** brother**. Mama won't like it. Besides, I need a place to stay and then I thought, 'Why not live with the Saturdays?'" scolded Kur. Still smiling devilishly, he continued, "Yes, I think Dahveed shall do. Could you bring me some dinner, I believe Mama is frying some catfish – cryptid. Think it was called Lau."

Wrapping my hands around his throat, I shouted, "I'm going to strangle the crap out of you!!!"

"Don't pout, we get to be roommates, Zak! Enjoy it while you can…," sang he. I repeated, "I will kill you." Kur dismissed my threats with a lazy sigh.

"Zak! Dinner's getting cold," cried Mom from downstairs. Dad threatened, "I'm going to eat all the good parts if you don't get down here, Zak."

**Review, PLEASE. **


	7. For Your Eyes Only

"Did you happen to get a sample from the underwater life, Doc?" asked Mom.

"Absolutely, Drew! I even discovered some microscopic particles floating in the sea."

"Good. I'm planning to go revisit the caverns beneath the surface, I'm pretty sure that they're something in there. As soon as our scuba diving suits dry off…" Mom advised.

"You still have a little seaweed in your hair," I pointed out. A few moments later, I unsympathetically roared, "What?! You guys went deep sea diving without me?!"

Fisk, Komodo, and Zon all growled, hissed, and cawed, "We went too." Tears began to bubble as I bawled, "How could you?! How come they got to go?!" Mom rolled her eyes, knowing surely that my tears were fake, which they were, and said, "I'm not leaving any of them at home, who knows what chaos they would cause." There was an awkward silence at the dinner table, thin as glass. Mom noticed this and began, "So, how was your first day at school?" Less and less I felt close, more and more I felt detatched from my family

Opening my mouth, I realized that no words were coming out; I didn't know how to answer. With a scowl, I snarled, "I hate it." And I really did, with every fiber of my body. Did I mean it? Even I didn't know the answer to that question. Mom and Dad glanced at each other with a shrug and a sigh. "Can I eat upstairs? I have, uh, homework to do."

Rather enthusiastically, Mom and Dad both nodded, "Of course!" Impatiently, I knocked on my closet door. "Hey! Dinner's here, you jerk!"

My closet door slid open, Kur still clad in his long white overcoat with blue trimmings, tightly gripping his sheathed **Blade of Kur**. A sly smile was on his face which read: Insane, psychotic, maniacal. I couldn't I repeat myself enough, it seemed to send shivers down my spine. "Aw, you're so mean to me, Zak!" Kur whimpered, but his fake sadness was only for a second as he began to devour my dinner. "Dinner! You know, this spelling homework sure is helpful, it's rather 'delectable'!" he chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up, I'm trying to read," I dismissed him, thumbing through my comic books. See, it was a little deal I had set up. No way was I going to actually do my homework. My grades were like…a rent, rather, a fee to stay in my closet. But there was no doubt that I was going to keep an eye on the guy. No matter how much he tries, I might just never treat him as anything other than an enemy. Just that. "So!" began Kur. "I thought that maybe we could get to know each other a bit better, since I'll be staying here for a while."

To tell you the truth, I was rather having second thoughts. Already, there were traces of hostility in the mood. It was almost as if I was ready to rip his throat out. Trust was one of my weaknesses. "You already know enough about me. I feel uncomfortable, actually," said I. "But I've always wondered how old you were, Kur."

"It's Dahveed. And I think I'm about…what? Actually, now that I think about it, I really don't know," stated Kur. Question after question, I began to learn more and more about Kur. I asked, "How is it possible that you're still alive?"

Kur scoffed, "You know what spirits are if they aren't put to rest, don't you?" Absentmindedly I began to stammer, "Duh! G – G – Ghosts!!" Kur rolled his eyes, as if stating the obvious. Moments later, I let loose a terrifying scream of horror. Kur sighed, examining his nails.

"So, you're a cryptid," I said, listing each one as I counted with my fingers. "And a ghost, spirit, and the deceased ruler of an ancient civilization once known at Sumer."

"Yeah. That's about it, in a nutshell!" Kur had this goofy smile on his face, satisfied. "You know, the chicks totally dig the Dragon suit. It's actually the official royal robe of Sumer."

"Oh, of course! I totally believe you, everything makes sense now!" I said with sarcasm. Obviously, Kur didn't know the meaning of sarcasm as he said, "I'm glad you've seen the light, Zak." Kur grinned.

"You should wear your Dragon Robe more often, Zak! It does look extremely handsome on you…" This was unbelievable! How does Kur completely ignore me? "Fine, fine! And what's with you and dragons?" Power began to surge throughout my whole being, my ankle – length tattered black overcoat with crimson, my own **Blade of Kur** in hand. Flower petals began to surround me as rained down upon my form.

"The flowers petals are a nice touch," added Kur, deeply inhaling the aroma. "Beautiful!"

Wrapping his arm around my shoulder, "You are so funny! Aren't you just clueless?" I simply stared. "Sumerian mythology? Snake – like fire spitting dragon ring a bell? Hello? Must be empty in there."

"Are you bipolar or something?" I asked, smacking him upside his head. Kur laughed insanely, "Well, I'm pretty sure there's **two** sides to me! You just gotta get to know the real Kur, that's all."

"Zak? Are you talking to yourself? Did you finish your homework?" Quickly shoving Kur into my closet and slamming it shut as Mom and Dad entered my room. Caught in the act! My back pressed against the closet door, shielding the **Blade of Kur** from view.

"Zak? What are you doing?" asked Mom. I stammered, "Uh, ah, um, nothing?"

"What are you wearing?" At the moment, the best I could think up was, "It's my Halloween costume. Do you like it?"

"Where did all these flower petals come from? What a mess!"

"Must have been me, left the window open. My bad, I'm such a klutz, now…"

"Did you finish your home…?"

"Yep! All finished, now can I please get some privacy?" Mom and Dad glanced at each other with a shrug, protesting as I pushed them out of my room, slamming the door shut. Fisk and Komodo entered shortly after rubbing their sensitive noses grumpily, Zon taking a nightly flight. Fisk growled, "What are you wearing?" Komodo hissed, shaking his head.

"I know, I know…" I said with a sigh.

For the first time, I heard Komodo actually communicate with me, "It looks good on you." With a yawn, Fisk and Komodo left shortly after. There was a loud thump from my closet. "Zak! Let me out, please!!" I rolled my eyes. My arms were crossed and my foot tapped, deep in thought. "Did I tell you? Was I lying?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You heard it just as well as I did. Komodo talked to you! For the first time in your pathetic, miserable, insignificant life!" Kur said with glee. I glared, "Shut up, you sicko. Don't you dare make fun of me."

"No need to be on your guard, Zak. Hostile much? Good night, **brother**!" My _**Dark Lightning Dragon Form**_ dissipated away from the core of my body as I gently fell asleep. Sleep came quickly as my horrifying dreams.

_In the secluded caverns of fearsome Hibagon Professor Talu Mizuki, I found myself approaching without a second thought, possibly due to Kur's arrogant attitude. Did he have no sense of fear? No, I had no sense of fear. Kur had grown on me. "Who is there?!" came the quick roar from Mizuki, his senses honed from his Hibagon body. "Show yourself!" _

_From the shadows, I ignited my __**Blade of Kur**__. "Zak Saturday! What are you doing?!" Lashing out with a rapid flurry of stabs, I quickly downed the enormous creature. "You won't get…away with this…," gasped Mizuki, barely alive. "Whoever you are." I smiled grimly, knowing that there was no Secret Scientist that had access to their communications. They would all live, barely. _

_Everything was going as planned, however, I still had one last target. _

_Let us hope the Kingdom of Kumari Kandam was prepared...  
_

"Rise and shine!" exclaimed Mom, dragging my blankets out from under me.

"Mom!" I whined, refusing to budge.

However, Mom was strong. "Besides, you have a visitor!"

My eyes snapped open. "I do? Who is it?" I'd never had a visitor before, who would want to see me?

Mom zipped her lips, throwing the key out the window.

"What's this? Could it be?" gasped Kur. "A secret admirer?!" sang he after Mom left. "Zak's a ladies man, a player! Ooh! This is too good."

Throwing my front door open, I found myself speechless. "Alicia?" Alicia was in awe. "Your house is so big!"

I stammered, "How did you find my house?" Alicia held up OCEANSIDE VIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTORY. "Oh," I dumbly said.

"Would you like to walk to school with me?" Alicia seemed to shine. Were her eyes sparkling? Somehow, I was drawn towards her heavenly appearance. "Sure. Why not?"

The crisp morning air was foreboding. The fall leaves crunched beneath our sneakers. We walked along the sidewalk, Alicia rather talkative. Instead, I was absorbed in my own thoughts. "Last night's homework was pretty hard, huh? I got stuck on Problem Number 24, I didn't understand the geometry in the perimeter…Who do you have for Math? Zak?"

"Huh?! Oh, Mr. Thomas. That one was hard, I guess," I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. What were you supposed to do with a girl? At the thought, I rolled my eyes. Dad always did make jokes about when he and Mom were young. Especially with his strange life lessons… The bulk of them involving Mom and her phases. "What's with your eyes and teeth?"

Luckily, I had prepared myself for this question. "Oh, it's just some little disorder. It's not contagious or anything, not even harmful. Doesn't it look cool?"

"Totally. You look like Edward from Twilight, has anyone ever told you that? You're like what Anderson said: Vampire." I rolled my eyes at the reference.

"Is that...bad?" Alicia grinned, shaking her head. She struck me as someone down to Earth, why was she suddenly revealing her true nature? "So, is your Mom just really old, or something?" I burst out laughter, clutching my stomach. "What? What's so funny?" Alicia began to laugh alongside with me.

"Mom's hair is really silver, but it's so funny when the cashier offers her a senior discount!" I chuckled, wiping a tear from my eye. "Oh…" We approached the school entrance, continuing with our playful banter. "See you, Alicia," I waved, unaware of the attention she and I were attracting. "You too, Zak."

Fifteen minutes before class was always a relaxing moment for me. I sighed in content, leaning back into my chair as I gulped down some orange juice. "Hey, Zak, do you have the hots for Alicia?" teased Anderson. I choked, spitting out the contents of my mouth.

"What? Excuse me?" I drooled. "No way! That's not true!!"

" Yep! By lunchtime, everyone will know...," Anderson sighed, pleased with himself. This time I wasn't going to hold back from pounding the daylights out of Anderson!

"Ohayo," said an all too familiar voice that I had heard before. "I'm Dahveed Saturday and I'll be attending Oceanside View Middle School!" One that haunted my dreams, nightmares, and my life. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Kur rammed his fist into my stomach, dragging me out of the classroom as I reeled.

"You idiot! Quit trying to get attention, Zak!" Kur scolded. I exasperatingly shouted, "You're the one getting all the attention!!" Kur was dressed in a ridiculous Hawaiian shirt and swim shorts, with a flower petal necklace around his neck.

"Have you met Dahveed yet, Zak?" said Alicia, who quickly joined us. "Odd, Dahveed looks just like you…Hey…Are you two brothers?!"

"NO, no! Go away!" I waved my hands in front of Alicia's eyes. "You didn't see anything!!"

I heard Alicia mutter under her breath as she stomped away, "Boys are so weird." The bell rang noisily, the masses of students crowding into their cramped classrooms. "What on Earth are you doing here?!"

"Your own family doesn't trust you, how can I?" sputtered he.

"Why are you wearing that hideous shirt? Take it off!" I demanded.

"It was all you had in your filthy closet!" roared Kur. "And I think it looks great! What's wrong with it?" Kur and I were both not aware of the proximity our voices traveled. Kur began to chuckle to himself with a toothy grin. He's acting strangely, I thought, Does he really have a goofy personality?

"You look stupid. Take it off!" I snapped, grabbing his Hawaiian shirt collar. "Huh?"

"Hurry up and undress already!"

"What are you talking about?" snarled Kur, obviously perplexed. "It's okay, so undress!" I yelled. "If you won't undress, I'll undress you myself!!"

"W – Wait a second!"

"No! I won't wait, so take it off!" Wrapping my leg around his, I pushed him forward. We both were sent sprawling onto the floor. "S – Stop it!"

"I'll undress you!" I was struggling to push myself off of Kur, who was putting up a big fight. "W – Wait!!"

"No! I won't!!"

"That's my – "

"I'm telling you to undress!!!"

"Hey!!" Little did I know, the whole entire class was right behind me as I fought with Kur. "Dahveed? Zak? What are both so late to class?" The all snickered. Out of all the voices I heard Alicia's friend say to her, "That's Zak, right? His personality has sure changed!" Alicia chuckled with a nervous laugh.

I fainted. My whole reputation I had built up! Gone, kaput, down there drain, vanished, disappeared!!


	8. Glancing Blows

**REVIEW. **

"Ugh! I will never be able to live this down," I groaned loudly. The aftermath of the situation was not pretty. "I can't believe it's still my first week of school."

Kur attempted to comfort me, "There, there! It's not entirely your fault. Besides, you still have the rest of the school year to make up for this lousy week." I glowered at him, ready to strangle the life out of him. The cool fall breeze chilled us from the very bone, stinging our cheeks. Kur and I gazed up into the gloomy sky, absorbed in our own thoughts. "Kur," I called. Why was I trying to talk to the enemy? I should be having my blade at his neck twenty - four seven. At first, he didn't reply. Kur seemed…sad, but then he brightened up. "Yes?" It was almost as if Kur was unfamiliar with hearing his name.

"There's something I should tell you, Zak," Kur firmly said as he stood up. But I wasn't falling for anything, I jumped up. Ready to fight. Suddenly, gone was the happiness, the content feeling of warmth, and the sly smile. "I'm not who you think I am." My eyes widened in an icy shock. My eyes wandered to Dahveed's hair. Something was off.

"What do you mean?" I sat up. "Remember what you said to me…that night?"

"_Are you bipolar or something?"_

"Y – Yeah…"

"Do you remember what I said after that?" Kur was serious, dead serious. The wind began to pick up around our surroundings, the fall leaves fluttering away in the sky. There was an obvious difference, but what?

_"Well, I'm pretty sure there's __**two**__ sides to me! You just gotta get to know the real Kur, that's all."_

Both of our thoughts seemed to focus on that moment in time, just last night. The memory seemed so distant, faded away. But as Kur and I both thought about it, it seemed to become clearer. "What about it?"

Slowly, Dahveed began, "When you and Kur bonded together…There was an anomaly in the process." Dahveed choked, "Then I was born." I kept a cold, firm demeanor. Expressionless and emotionless, I let him continue. "Kur, the real Kur, became attached to you. And you did too; you both had feelings for each other." There was a wretched feeling inside of me, of disgust? "Those emotions and feelings kind of bottled up till they exploded and fused together. Now, I'm here."

"How do you know this?" I asked suspiciously. "This isn't another one of your sick jokes or tricks, right? Don't screw with me!!" As Dahveed opened his mouth, a scream of agony escaped both of our lips. Electricity and static radiated from our frail bodies; sending a shockingly chilling sensation down our spines, which tore our nervous system to pieces. It felt…it almost felt like Dahveed and I were being torn apart, literally.

Dahveed and I clutched our heads, terrorized by an evil force unknown. But Dahveed and I both knew, it was him. There was no doubt as both of our thoughts echoed in each other's mind. Eventually, the pain had stopped as our bodies crumpled to the dry grass. My eyes darted towards Dahveed, then to the figure that stood before us.

Kur stood before us clad in his ankle – length dark purple tattered overcoat with yellow trimmings, clutching his own **Blade of Kur**. Moving would only further damage our nervous systems. Surprisingly, the torturous pain began to fade away. Dahveed and I struggled to stand up. Two lightning bolt shaped strands of hair fell to Dahveed's face, while Kur had only one. An insignificant difference between Kur and he.

Immediately, Dahveed and I found ourselves clad in our own ankle – length tattered overcoats, mine a dark deep midnight black with crimson trimmings, while Dahveed wore a shining white with aqua trimmings. Tightly, we both grasped our own **Blades of Kur**. "So, you weren't lying," I dully noted.

"There's no way we can get to Kur to actually attack him, Zak," said Dahveed. His thumb began to bleed onto his lizard – like grooves on his blade, which began to crackle with pure blue lightning energy.

Dahveed lashed forward, releasing his power. Energy in the form of a lizard launched forward, slamming into Kur's body. Kur stumbled backwards, crying out. "Not bad," Kur finally said when the smoke cleared, a visible mark of the remainder of the attack. From the torso, blood dripped, a deep wound clearly seen.

I sought forth my own power, my blood dripping onto my twin dragon grooves on my own blade, which also began to crackle with pure crimson lightning energy.

I let loose my rage and fury, which began to spiral out in a frenzy of an unstoppable lightning bolt in the shape of two dragons that coiled around each other. This time, my attack__sent Kur flying, launched from the intensity of the blow. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his bleeding torso. Two deep wounds opened in his chest, fatal.

"Zak! _**The Mark of Kur**_ on your neck!" pointed out Dahveed. "It's at its final stage!!" I shouted, "There's no time for that!" Through my mind, I could clearly remember the words Kur spoke so long ago, _"__**The Mark of Kur**__ is permanent; soon, I will have complete control of your weakling body."_

I spun around, charging my blade to its full power as a wave of crimson – red lightning energy charged full force towards Kur, weakened. Another cry of agony and suffering as my blow tore through his shoulders, ripping them apart. Still, there was an unnerving smile, almost a grimace on Kur's face. Now was the time to deliver the final blow.

Preparing to finally destroy Kur, I raised the **Blade of Kur** above his head. Hesitant, I began to rethink my actions. Was this worth it? Could I really take a living, breathing being down like this? "You **are** my true rival, Zak Saturday," Kur cackled, before disappearing from sight. Had he found refuge inside my own body? No. There was a feeling of emptiness, as if Kur had filled the void inside of me. With a shock, I found myself staring in a morbid fascination at my blood soaked blade. Had I really done so much? Had Kur's influence changed me that drastically? There was no denying the fact that I had become sadistic, arrogant, brutal, and even cruel.

Just like Kur. "Zak. The mark's become near permanent, it's at its final stage. Kur's will be able to control your body at his own whim with his own will." I nodded gravely, sheathing my **Blade of Kur**. "You have to destroy him, it's your only choice," said Dahveed.

"I know," I growled, gritting my teeth. "Question is if I'll be able to do it." Our Dragon Forms dissipated from our bodies, feeling the warm sticky blood on my cheek. It tasted…sweet. School had ended later that day.

"I'm home!" I yelled throughout the house, which seemed to echo. Dahveed was climbing through the open window of my room. "Henry! Henry? Henry?! Are you there, Henry?! Come in!" shouted Dad in the control room. Static was on the screen. "Paul! Paul? Secret Scientists, come in!" shouted Mom in another section of the control room. "Mizuki?! Anyone! Arthur?!"

Then came the warm voice of Ulraj on the screen, "Saturdays? I'm here, Saturdays!" Ulraj was probably my best friend, since he was just a kid. Too bad I don't rule a kingdom, but Ulraj and I were the best of buddies.

"Are you alright?" asked both my parents. Ulraj was taken aback, "Yes, Saturdays. I am fine. What is wrong?" On screen, I could see Ulraj reclining in his throne of Kumari Kandam.

"Get over here now! You might be in danger!!" In the background, I could see Ulraj's body guards bellow orders to tighten security. "I'm on my way," Ulraj firmly said, before disconnecting. "Miranda? Are you alright down there?!"

"Yes! I am fine. What's is the meaning of this?!" Miranda Gray fired up her zeppelin. "I'm on my way!" The screen went to static as she disconnected. Mom and Dad were urgently trying to contact the other Secret Scientists. Dad pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "What's going on?" I nervously asked, afraid of their answer. "All of them! All of the Secret Scientists in our division have lost connection, we think something might be going wrong."

I gulped. Even Fisk, Komodo, and Zon were worried. Should I tell them? Should I not? Before I could open my mouth, I felt a tingling sensation that felt like invisible strings, the kind ventriloquists use, they felt like they were snakes wrapping around my neck. There was no way of explaining it, I couldn't move.

"Zak, stay here. We're going to find the others, you know the drill," Mom and Dad both calmly tried to say, but their faces read: Anxiety. And there I stood, unable to move. When I heard the front door slam shut, I could feel my body return back to me. In my mind, I heard Kur chuckle. What should I do? I simply continued my mundane life, as if nothing had changed. But inside, I still could feel an emptiness. Seconds…became minutes. Minutes…became hours. Hours…became days.

If only that were true. Hours later, midnight, I was still pacing around the house, worried. Fisk, Komodo, and Zon stared, beginning to get dizzy. Then there was that relieving sound of the airship docking. "Get them in the infirmary," ordered Mom. Thanks to her robots, they managed to help everyone, even the hulking Hibagon. "Talu Mizuki, Paul, Henry, Arthur…all devastated by something," thought Dad aloud. "Could it be Argost?" Mom suggested. Dad snorted, "Even Argost wouldn't be able to create something of this magnitude."

Ulraj frightened me. "Hello, Zak. Eavesdropping on your parents again, I see," Ulraj smirked. "Shut up! It's spying, now quiet." Mom and Dad towered over me, furious. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"Zak," Mom began, "you march yourself right back to your room." Dad stopped her, "Drew. It's okay. He's just worried, that's all." I sighed, "Whew!", in relief. Mom sternly said, "I'm not through with you, Mister." Ulraj laughed a bit, before returning to his somber mood, scowling, "Who could have done this?"

"They're in stable condition, Ulraj," Mom scientifically stated, wearing her lab coat for certain...aesthetic reasons. Ulraj wondered, "Is your mother really a doctor?" Shaking my head, I said, "Nah. She just let's her robots do the work," with a chuckle. "We could sue her for malpractice," joked Ulraj with a whisper. "Boys…," Mom gave us the Evil Eye, staring us down.

Dad said, "We've taken some security tapes from their laboratories. Maybe this can tell us something." Dr. Miranda Gray kept her distance from me, quietly sipping a cup of tea as she watched them with Dad. Slowly, the other Secret Scientists began to awake. Many of them were in no quality to be viewed, the majority of the security tapes static. "Thank goodness we've developed technology for this kind of issue," Dad said, relieved.

"Zak, we have to get out of here," Dahveed whispered to me while Ulraj spoke to the other Secret Scientists. I shook my head, "Get back upstairs, they might see you." Why did I care? Shouldn't it have been for the better? Yet some part inside me... I tried to stay out of sight, out of mind. But my parents wouldn't let it go. "Zak, come say hi!"

There was an expression of true terror on all of the injured Secret Scientists.

**REVIEW. **


	9. Thanks!

The other Secret Scientists joined Dr. Miranda Gray at the large computer. Dad was struggling with the tapes, the quality was impossible. Yet somehow, Dad had managed to fix them up, with audio. Needless to say, I was in a tough spot. A picture was worth a thousand words, then what was a video?

_"What the - ? Zak Saturday, what an Earth…?!" _Moments later, an explosion torn apart the security camera in Miranda Gray's laboratory, static following afterwards. For that brief second, you could see Zak Saturday escaping, clutching a piece of the Kur Stone. _"You won't get it! Don't even try!" _Arthur Beeman shouted on tape.

_"Zak Saturday! What a surprise, I had no idea your family was coming to visit..." _Henry Cheveyo greeted me. _"Where is your piece of the Kur Stone?" _There was an empty silence, with brief garbling and chopping of the footage. _"Why?" _There was a hushed gasp as I pointed my blade towards his neck. _"Shut up. Take me there." _Everyone shook, quivered at the sight of my brutality as I smashed his head against a table. On Henry Cheveyo's head, there was a gruesome reminder of my actions.

_"Zak? What are you…? Don't do this, Zak!"_ shouted Paul Cheechoo, before I pinned him to the walls, nearly strangling the life out of him. _"Who is there?! Show yourself!"_ Everyone seemed to gasp in horror as I defeated the fearsome Hibagon. No one could bear looking at me. The footage of Talu Mizuki's caverns cut to the last part, _""Zak Saturday! What are you doing?! You won't get away with this…whoever you are…" _

"Zak…?" Mom gasped with a small whisper. Everyone began to approach me cautiously, Dad slamming his fist on Lockdown. An alarm blared, doors immediately slamming to a permanent shut. Mom's eyes began to tear up as she said, "How could you do such a thing?"

My attempts to deny my actions were fruitless, "NO, no! That wasn't me, Mom! Why would I…," I trailed off, before pleading, "It could have been Zak Monday, remember? The mystic Smoke Mirror of the Mesoamerican Chaos God Tezcatlipoca?" I cried out, barely dodging Mom's Tibetan Fire Sword's blade. "You are not my son!"

"Just listen!" I begged. "It's me. Zak, your son! Would I do something like this?" Somehow I'd managed to find myself in a state of denial. "Please! I didn't do a thing! Mom!" I shouted again, diving forward with a front roll. "Do not call me that, you sick monster!" How could Mom have had a change of heart so quickly? Couldn't she recognize her own son? Guilt overwhelmed me as I escaped near death. "My son, Zak, wouldn't do something like this!" Fisk, Komodo, and Zon stood aside from the conflict, aghast. How could their own brother betray them like this? It was impossible, inconceivable! Yet it was true, right before their very eyes.

Extreme energy pulsed and radiated, overwhelming everyone as they were sent to the walls. In my hand I held the **Blade of Kur**, donning my ankle length black overcoat with crimson trimmings. Bandages were wrapped around my neck and waist, fluttering in the wind from the destroyed walls. Mom whimpered in absolute horror, what had her son become? She reached for her sword, charging at me with a battle cry of rage. "Drew!!!" shouted Dad. Tears began to pour down my cheeks, their salty taste a reminder of my sin. I parried her overhead cut, lashing forward as I cut into Mom's side. Time seemed to slow down in a fashion otherwise known as speed. Fisk came to Mom's aid, before growling.

Anger had filled his piercing eyes as he roared, lashing out with his claws. I didn't want to hurt him, I didn't…I shouted, reeling as Fisk punched me in the jaw with a right hook, then a kick to the gut. "Fisk…," I sobbed, attempting to defend myself. Why was I fighting? Why was I fighting my own family?! "I love you, Fisk! Don't do this…"

With another cry, Fisk attacked me again. "Don't lie to me! You aren't my **brother**," Fisk growled. In my mind, I could hear Dahveed speak, his voice mixing in with Fisk's. I had never done such a thing in my life, to control my own pets for my fiendish acts. But tearfully, I raised my hand. Fisk's willpower was weakening, he and I both knew this wasn't how it was supposed to be.

The chilling night was ominous in my eyes as Dahveed and I leapt through the thick forest. We did not speak to one another as I fumed. "Don't be angry at me, Zak."

"I'm not," I hissed. "Why are you helping me? Why do you care?"

"I don't. Who said I did? I never said anything, only you."

"Shut up!" I snarled, clenching my fists. There was an emptiness in the silence as we sprinted through the forest, and inside of me, unwilling to believe myself. Anxiousness, I felt a sense of anxiousness. What would happen now? What was yet to come? How far would they take this?

I looked up into the night sky, staring at the twinkling light of the stars. The thoughts and wishes of the past seemed to cross the ages, and arrived just as vividly. Once, twice, I heard the bell toll echo inside my heart. The drifting stars will move…they will change. Closing my eyes, I listened closely. In my soul, I heard, "Why?"

For the people that hold me up, let me deliver my feelings of appreciation. Thanks for always. Thanks, for real. No matter where you are, I'm grateful for your presence. I will not lose. I will not cry. I am sorry. You've all been hurt by unspeakable pain and sadness, but I shall carry your indelible stains of bloodshed.

I will find you, Kur. There's meaning in everything that happens in the unseen future, so stay as you are for now, I know there'll come a time when you realize it. You and me, two are spoken. Someday we'll understand each other.

What have I done?

Point of View: Drew Saturday

The tears had long stopped flowing. Denial, I was in a state of denial. How could my baby boy do this? There was a feeling of betrayal inside my heart, my trust for Zak shattered into tiny pieces. I clutched my side in agony, my Tibetan Fire Sword in hand. I wiped away the tears on my jumpsuit. "What do we do?" I said, reassuring myself again. Of course, Miranda as always the simplistic minded one, "Simple. We find your son and capture him." As if that'll be easy, I thought to myself with a roll of the eyes. Fisk rubbed his head, groaning loudly as he tried to stabilize himself. "Don't touch me, gorilla cat," snapped Arthur Beeman. "Is everyone alright?" Doc took a stand. Everyone dusted themselves off.

"I'm pretty sure he carries a cell phone. Arthur, can you get a GPS lock on it?" Doc ordered. "Child's play," scoffed Arthur. "Miranda, I'm going to need some help on your specialty."

"Pshaw! Doc, my life is about interdimensional portals. Though I'm unsure if it'll work, it's still in an experimental stage…," thought Miranda Gray out loud. There was a cold firm expression on Doc's face. "But I'll see what I can do."

"Talu Mizuki. Perhaps you could recruit us some search dogs to get his scent?" The massive Hibagon nodded. "What can we do?" asked Henry and Paul. "I need you both to run tests on everything in Zak's room. Anything that'll give us a lead." How could he be so ruthless? Zak was our son…Though I refused to believe it, it had to be him. It had to be.

"Actions speak louder than words, Drew," reminded my husband. I sat down, sipping a cup of hot cocoa as I absorbed myself in my own thoughts. Overhearing a conversation between Paul and Doc, I heard, "There are traces of hair in his closet, almost closely linked with his DNA."

"Not what I wanted to hear."

"Paul said 'almost.' Now, there's a problem in the double helix, it seems there's a mutation in one string over here. So now, we have a problem," Henry noted. "Someone was hiding inside Zak's closet. I also found traces of saliva and blood."

"That's good." Fisk sat beside me, just as worried and unable to think clearly. "We need to get the Kur Stone back," demanded my husband. How on Earth could he possible be focused on that as of now? What about the well being of our son? "Ulraj, do you still have your piece of the Kur Stone?" I worriedly asked.

"It's in maximum security at Kumari Kandam, Mrs. Saturday. Do not worry." Ulraj stared off into the night sky as the Secret Scientists worked to clean up the mess. "Who is Zak Saturday? What is his motive? Where is he going? And why is Zak doing this?" Ulraj spoke to himself.

I chuckled, "If I knew that, Your Majesty, I'd tell you."

Ulraj's eyes flashed. "You are his mother, is that not correct?"

Point of View: Zak Saturday

That lonely feeling keeps creeping upon me. A single candle flame seemed to burn inside my heart as the salty sea smell crept to my nose. The night was beginning to fade to dawn, could I really bury away these memories with empty words? My fist clenched tightly, I would find you Kur…until this brilliant blue sea stops shining and dries up.

All the days of the past are what I am now. Because it's not simple to go on, I can live. Moving at a fast pace, people pass by each other. "Did your dream come true?" Mom grinned. I went to a place where the sun shined, and tried to see if I could hold their hands tightly. I broke that place; that time. And we all just laughed and laughed. I'm still struggling.

"They're looking for you," Dahveed said cheerfully. I returned sullenly, "Why? Is that good?"

"Bah. Where's the cheery n' chatty Zak I knew? You're so morose; it's almost as if you've lost hope!" How could Dahveed still be smiling? "Where would Kur be headed?" Dahveed thought aloud, "Probably to that tacky old Temple o' his. It's the only way he can harness the Kur Stone's power, I guess. But till then, let's just find a way to get there in the first place."

"Then we should get going!" I harshly said. "Relax, relax. Knowing who that grumpy spirit is, he won't be able to get there unless he swims! Jeez, it's almost like that guy grew on you or something. Can't even tell if you're the same person I knew."

"How am I going to fight him?" I asked to nobody in particular. "There can never be a replacement for you, Zak. Here, let's take your mind of it." Dahveed snatched a flourishing cherry blossom from a nearby tree. "Think of it like this, we're all flowers. So don't you dare ever wither on me." In his hands, the cherry blossom suddenly burned into ash, scattering away from the wind. "Because I'll always protect you, so you don't wither."

Dancing flowers began to flitter down over the blue sea, sparkling, flaring, and burning. Heedfully, unto the sky, petals poured down like fireworks. Fireworks explode, sadness takes over. Spring, a dazzling display of flittering flowers over a blue sea, beats  
down. This flower shall keep burning. Beneath the gently fluttering petals, we sat. Pondering for the unknown, piecing together the pieces with my dark eyes.

The way I used to be…but then something touched my heart. A feeling of content? Did I even understand myself? I never meant to hurt you, all of you. I was just running from emotions I weren't ready for. But what am I supposed to do the next time…

If I don't have you to depend, hold on? Please don't go anywhere. It'll all be over soon. Yet there were so many things to do, almost all impossible for me. It was overwhelming. I may not say it very often, but I am truly grateful for my friends and family. The time we spend together is so special, there was no way to replace them.

We've all had this moment, and each other, I pray. I was so thankful, my tears began to slide down my face. This feeling…it was so wonderful. Almost as if today was just a dream. I promise you all, I'll never forget it, those who laugh, support, and keep me going. "Aw, you crying?"

I sniffed, wiping away my tears of joy. "No, course not. Just hoping that they'll forgive me, Dahveed."

"That's the spirit! Now get to bed." There was a large smile across my face. If there was a will, there was a way! And suddenly, I had found hope.


	10. Standoff

The dawn began to rise ever so slowly. Grasping tightly in my hand, a cherry blossom, I stared up into the sky. "Funny. I never knew you had a soft side, Zak," laughed Dahveed.

"They're beautiful," I whispered with emotion, letting the petals float and scatter away from my hand in the wind. "Cherry blossoms were a gift from Japan, you know. There might be a few trees season in this large forest. But why cherry blossoms?" For that moment, I almost forgot my hatred towards Dahveed. With a sigh I said, "Maybe… because they remind me of something." It was rather a symbol of love. My love for my family. "And because…," I began, before Dahveed interrupted with, "'Bout time the sun rose." In truth, there seemed to be no better place to be than falling out of darkness. Without a premonition, I asked Dahveed, "Could you tell me where we stand?"

Dahveed stretched, yawning, "I don't really know. The Pacific Ocean was a bit southeast from where we are now." Closely examining our surroundings, I realized that we had found ourselves in a secluded forest. Gone was the wonderful calm of the ocean. Living there all my life had been an amazing experience; to wake up each morning to the salty smell and taste of the sea.

I would miss it.

Through the night, we had both ventured far into the unknown territory. The thick shrubs and greenery would mask our movements until otherwise. At a rapid pace, Dahveed and I leapt and sprinted through the forest silently, the world around us a blur. My eyes began to water at our immense speed, but I said nothing. Exhausted, we both collapsed. Our Dragon Forms dissipated from our bodies, only my usual customized orange custom Secret Scientists tee shirt over my long sleeved black sweater remained, along with my yellow jeans. Wiping away the sweat from our face, I could see we were not far from civilization.

The busy streets were quiet and empty, silence taking over most of the ambience. Casually, we both walked down the street, the city at dawn dyed red with twilight. As the sun rose, I could see flocks of people coming and going. For some reason, I tried to stop. Bit by bit, the crack inside my heart became empty. A feeling of loneliness? "You aren't alone, Zak. Look," Dahveed placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it a bit in a brotherly way. "We'll support each other." I made no move to shove it away.

At that moment, I felt almost like bursting into tears. Fear of the instable future; it came towards me and I was worried until now. Dahveed quietly reached out his hand without a word. Sadness was only half of it, my happiness and joy swelled up twice as much. I swore that if I was in the opposite situation, that I'd come running across. Far away, even if I was far apart from my friends and family, I could still feel them.

The memories of the days that we had spent together would by no means disappear into the flow of time, which was scarce. "Thank you." A wonderful power dwells within words. Only now, had I realized this?

Point of View: Fiskerton a.k.a. Fisk Saturday

Millions of questions ran through my head at once, giving me a headache. If only Zak was here to scratch my ears. Who was making Zak do this? What was going on? Where was my brother going? When was this mayhem going to end? Why was Zak doing this? And more importantly, how was this going to be solved? Hopefully, it would end well.

Preferably, with everyone alive.

Point of View: Drew Saturday

Who, me? Why, should I be worried? Was I worried? What kind of mother wouldn't? But I didn't show it. I wouldn't show it. Glaring at my husband, who was completely absorbed in a single strand of hair in Zak's closet for the slightest evidence of foul play; could this be grounds for divorce?

Komodo, Zon, and Fisk worriedly whimpered, beginning to miss their fellow sibling. Actually, I could sympathize with them. Soon, I also succumbed to the loss of my son and his loving childhood. That was all gone now, Zak's childhood, his innocence…But what was left? Hopelessly, I wept silently. I missed him so much! How could I possibly deal with the emptiness? "Drew! We've got a lock on Zak's position, let's go!" Doc shouted. "Cortex Disruptors?" I asked in disbelief. "What for?"

"We can't be too safe. How can we be sure that Zak is really Zak? There's no way of telling!" argued Doc. "How can we be sure that Zak isn't really our Zak?" I shot back. "My son. Your son. Our son," I pleaded. Doc rubbed his chin in thought, before saying, "Good point. But I will not take risks." My head perked up with a bat of an eye, wiping away a lone bang of my silver hair. "They can't be far…" I whispered to no one in particular. Outside, there was a whoosh as the Airship was fired up, everyone piling in. "You coming, Drew?" I rolled my eyes; no good mother in her right mind would say no! Determination was my resolve; I was going to find my son.

And get to the bottom of this.

Point of View: Zak Saturday

My heart ached dearly, as if the sorrow of my family could be felt through my being. There was an ungainly presence of sadness. Mom…? "Zak? Zak! Don't zone out on me now, bro. C'mon," Dahveed sang loudly. I shook my head fiercely, pulling my mind from a trance. "W – What, Dahveed?" I stammered. "Earth to Zak, you've got a phone call." The device blared loudly as I reached to answer the call. Dahveed suddenly threw the phone into the morning commute of the jam packed vehicles. I yelled, "What are you doing?!"

"Those were your parents trying to track you down, Zak. Do you really want them to find us?" Dahveed grimly noted. Suddenly, there was a small twang inside my heart. They were going to hunt me down, like an animal. "Must be closer than we thought," mustered he, ushering me to quickly move. From underneath a loose piece of driftwood at the docks, Dahveed reached and found what he was looking for.

"A duffle bag?" I raised an eyebrow. "We have to blend in, right?" Dahveed goofily smiled, "Much, much better than your usual outfit. I'm starting to wonder if you only have one pair of decent clothing, Zak!" Dahveed revealed tastefully well chosen jackets and jeans. Two pairs of turtle neck leather jackets of a different style, dark black jeans, and to top it all off, designer sunglasses. Undressing myself, there was a horrible reminder of the past events at Oceanside View Middle School. I shuddered, hoping to rid myself of the memory. Dahveed flexed his muscles, admiring his complexion. "You know I'm better looking than you," he challenged playfully. I rolled my eyes; it was almost as if Dahveed had my personality.

"Sure, of course you do. Besides the fact that I have had gone through a much more rigorous training program," boasted I, also joking around. "Therefore, I am stronger both mentally and physically." In that moment, there was a sudden silence. Dahveed gestured to hush. My honed senses could pick up the faint engine of the Airship.

Point of View: Solomon a.k.a. Doc Saturday

"GPS says they're right here!" Peering into my binoculars, frowning as I muttered, "That can't be right. There's nothing there except the beach and docks…" Something caught my eye, a shift of movement.

Point of View: Drew Saturday

"Do you see that?" I didn't want to answer that question nor ask why. Reluctantly, I mumbled, "Maybe we should let things be, Doc…"

"What are you saying?" Doc asked slowly, not wavering. "Let bygones be bygones, hon. Zak's going to come home on his own, right? Then we could ground him, I don't know! Zak must have a good reason for doing this…" I sadly looked at my own reflection in my cup. What was I saying? I could barely believe it myself, but for that brief moment…

It was almost as if I wasn't a good mother. There was a feeling of weakness inside of me. I loathed weakness. Never would I remain as the submissive wife of an oppressive husband so which the media loved to portray. Always I've wanted to be on equal terms with Doc. "Let's go," I stated, reassuring myself to stay strong. The hatch doors opened, the wind whistling outside.

Others followed, ready to parachute down.

Point of View: Zak Saturday

Our animal – like senses warned us as we both urgently growled, "They're coming." My heart began to pound furiously. "Go, go!" Dahveed shouted as I sprinted away. Tightly I gripped my **Blade of Kur**, almost wishing I hadn't done so by calling upon Kur's power, as the robe seemed to limit my movement so. "Zak!" I heard a desperate cry. "You idiot, don't think! Run!" At once I began to see a change in both of our appearances. More or less, a black jagged lightning ran down our star shaped patch of silver hair. Did this mean something?

"Please come home, Zak!" begged Mom, her Tibetan Fire Sword drawn. At the sight of both of us there was a gasp. "How can there be two Zak's? It's impossible." Needless to say this was not going to end well at all.


	11. Hate

Point of View: Fiskerton a .k .a. Fisk Saturday

My heart ached until I could bear it no more. Yet I still earnestly refused to believe Zak had done this. How could my own brother, my Zak have done this? There had to be a reasonable explanation for all these events, there just had to be!

Yet I only mourned, I mourned for the loss of Zak, my brother.

Point of View: Drew Saturday

"Freeze!!!" bellowed the Secret Scientists and Ulraj, who all brandished Cortex Disruptors alongside Doc, Fisk, Komodo, and Zon. Fisk, Komodo, and Zon all roared, hissed, and screeched at the sight of their sibling in agony. "Don't move, Zak Saturday!!!" Cortex Disruptors were aimed towards my son! Why wasn't I stopping them? Why wasn't I doing anything? My body was frozen, my feet glued to the ground and my arms at my side; I couldn't move or breathe. There was a feeling of uncertainty, a longing as well. It was almost as if I didn't know myself, my family.

Suddenly, there was a cry.

Point of View: Zak Saturday

I was screaming at the top of my lungs. Something seemed to flicker behind my eyelids, a burning sensation following. Tears streamed down my face while I clutched my skull, falling to my knees. "Zak!" Dahveed shouted, watching my family and friends for a brief moment before rushing to aid me. I gave my family a pained expression, my heart heavy. Still aware of my hatred towards Dahveed and his relation to my arch nemesis, I scowled and refused. Our eyes met with a horrifying shock.

The whites had become to blackest of blacks. Our pupils had changed into crimson red demonic animal – like slits. Slowly, both of our canines had already begun to elongate into fangs at their fullest length. The _**Mark of Kur**_ was at its final form. What had we become? Had it been due to the emotional distress I was feeling inside of me? Or was this the first step onto a dark path of darkness, evil, and destruction? Would I truly become just like Kur? My mind flashed back to the words Kur had spoken to me.

"_**Zak Saturday, you ARE Kur."**_

My world began to change at a moment's notice. I grinned widely, my twisted mind already at work. "I'm thirsty," I said, running my forked tongue across my sharp fangs. Grabbing Dahveed by the shoulders, I sank my teeth into his neck. I could taste the sweetness of his blood, lapping it up slowly. There was a terrified expression on Dahveed's face as he gasped, "Z – Zak!" Blood, I needed blood to transfer into my new form.

Groaning loudly in pain, I felt my transformation taking place. My skeletal form began to morph and change as a pair of dark midnight leathery wings with rubies the size of eggs; which perfectly matched my outfit and sword, burst from my back and robe, spreading outward with a leathery rustle. Under my breath, I muttered, "This is going to be fun."

Dahveed was in shock; only before Dahveed screamed in agony, shining white dragon wings protruding from his own back with sapphires, which spread outward. At the sight of his horrified face, I smiled. Many thoughts ran through my head at once; I had to rethink everything through. Was this my new form? I took a moment's glance towards my "rescue." There was absolute horror upon their face; What monster had I become? Was I not human?

"Quick, shoot it!" Narrowly, I dodged a blast from a Cortex Disruptor. Dad threw a fist at me with his Power Glove, then a roundhouse kick. I pushed it aside with a left swing, right hooking his jaw. "Don't do this, son!" Dad shouted, shielding himself from a slash. "It doesn't have to be this way, Zak!" Mom begged tearfully, throwing an uppercut. I simply parried the attack, "We can solve this together, like a family! We can get through this, baby." Mom had her Tibetan Fire Sword drawn. She had generated enough solar energy from the sun to charge her sword, ready to unleash it upon me. The Secret Scientists charged up their Cortex Disruptors, unleashing it upon me.

I drew my own weapon, blood dripping and spreading across my blade from my thumb.

However, I simply avoided the barrage, returning with one of my own. My sword deflected the bursts of pure energy, focusing it towards the group. "Die," I cackled, swinging. An explosion shook the ground, creating dust and smoke. The Secret Scientists were thrown back. Charging forward, I swept down at a rapid speed. Dad was struggling to defend himself as I lashed out towards him with brutal stabs and elegant spins, as well as Mom. She barely escaped my overhead swing.

Suddenly, out of the blue, Fisk punched me in the gut, following with a high kick to my jaw. Zon was dealing lacerations with her claws, pummeling me to the ground. I struggled to stand. "Ooh. Someone's confident," I grinned, revealing my razor sharp fangs. "It isn't personal, you know."

This wasn't my voice, these weren't my words. Someone was manipulating my mind at the time. "Just remember, I still love you, Fisk," I said sarcastically, hinting with my true voice; a pained feeling strained my throat. In my heart, I meant those words. Something was holding me back. "Gah!" I cried out as Komodo's tail wrapped around my leg, tripping me.

Point of View: Unknown a. k. a. Dahveed Saturday

What was going on? Why was this happening? It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Things were supposed to be different. "No!!!"

Point of View: Zak Saturday

In my mind, everything was Even as I stood, Dahveed swept under me, pinning me to the beach sand. "I ain't going to let you do this, Zak." Dahveed snarled.

"What are you talking about?" I shot back, slashing towards Dahveed's neck. "This was your idea, Dahveed!"

"No one was supposed to get hurt! And I see it now, I was wrong," he hissed.

Point of View: Zak Saturday

Dahveed's **Blade of Kur** was at my throat. Suddenly, my eyes opened up. Who was I becoming? What was I becoming?! Why was this happening? How was this happening?! "Look what you're doing. What I'm doing. Do you really want it to end this way?" Dahveed said emotionally. I saw Mom standing very. Perfectly. Still. Tears fell from her fearful face, fighting for Dad's life, everyone's life.

"I never planned this in the first place, I never planned this at all," Dahveed unhinged his jaw, sinking his teeth into my neck. Paralyzed, I felt paralyzed. I couldn't move, I couldn't fight back. Only yell, "I swear, I will spend the rest of my LIFE hunting you down. And when I do…AH!" Dahveed drank more, I began to feel faint. "I will spend the rest of my life destroying you." Soon, I was beginning to fall into a daze.

"You'll thank me later, brother," he said to me as I fell unconscious.

My eyes opened slowly, the light blinding me momentarily. Dahveed was being held captive with the Secret Scientists with restraints, his body limp. Even I was tied up. Looking up, I saw Mom's beaming and watery eyes, along with Dad's, Fisk's, Komodo's, and Zon's harsh and pained eyes. At first, I began to struggle with intent to kill. "LET ME GO!"

"Watch out, Drew!" Mom began to approach me, staring deep into my crimson red eyes with a shudder. I snarled, baring my fangs. Mom's touch was gentle, stroking my hair. She attempted to soothe my raging soul with a lullaby, her voice almost a whisper.

Sadness. My eyes welled up before I began to cry like my mother. Somehow, I had managed to bury myself into her bosom. Mom leaned in as her fingers brushed against my face, kissing me on my head. Her arms wrapped around me, I fell into a daze. My Dragon Robe pressed against my body, along with my **Blade of Kur **in its black diamond sheath. "Can you hear it, Zak?" Mom whispered to me. "Focus on my heartbeat, just listen…" My ear was pressed to her chest; I could hear and feel her heartbeat. Slowly, my transformation began to fade away, the wings on my back retracting. Mom held my tightly, not wanting to let go. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…," I repeated over and over. Somehow, I felt that wasn't going to be enough.

A needle pricked itself into my neck, the liquid injecting into my blood stream. "I'm sorry too, baby," were the last solemn words Mom said to me before I fell unconscious.

Point of View: Solomon a .k .a. Solomon Saturday

It pained me to see Zak being held captive alongside that freak, that Dahveed… It pained me even more to see my family heartbroken like this. Something had to be done. The doorbell suddenly rang, revealing an exhausted and breathless child with auburn hair and thick framed glasses. "…Hi…," said the soft spoken child, crying out as her eyes lay upon me. "Ah! Are…are you Zak's dad?"

"Yes. Yes I am," I replied curtly. "May I help you…?"

"Alicia. Alicia Ashford, Mr. Saturday! I'm Zak's classmate," Alicia Ashford introduced herself, plopping a large pile textbooks and loose leaflets of paper. "This is Zak's homework that's he's missed." I heaved and gasped under the sheer weight of the textbooks. "Can I see Zak?" she eagerly asked, nearly begging.

"Uh. I'm sorry; my son's very busy…"

"I promise it won't be long. By the way, where has Zak been?" Alicia reassured. "Not exactly around, lately," I joked. "But really, Zak is…"

"I want to see Zak," she insisted. "Please?"

"Sorry, I must be on my way," dismissed I, before slamming the door in her face.

Point of View: Fiskerton a .k .a. Fisk Saturday

_"You can stay with us!"_ chirped the wide eyed child. _"Fisk's a Saturday!" _Zak slumped down. _"It's okay, it's okay!"_ Impulsively, I began to cry and sob. How could this be? How could Zak be in there? What was going on? Moments later, my ears picked up Uncle Doyle, who stood alongside me. "Who would have thought it was Zak? Must have gotten it from my side of the family," Doyle said proudly for a moment, and then he looked down.

"Dad let you in the house again?" I asked, crossing my furry arms. "Yeah. Doubt that he forgave me, though. How's it going anyway, Fisk?" chuckled Doyle, trying to lighten the mood by wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I shoved his arm away, pressing my eyes into the clear glass chamber. _"We're brothers now!"_

"Whoa. Who's the alien clone next to Zak? Never knew Zak had another brother!" Doyle exclaimed. "Why is Zak in there?" asked a young voice with an accent.

"Zak's girlfriend?"

"My name is Wadi and you are a very rude man!" Wadi shrieked.

"There's my handsome man," purred a familiar voice. "How's it going Fisk? Doyle?"

"Hey there, hot stuff," Doyle drooled. Abby gave Uncle Doyle a stern look. "I mean, Abby. Abby." He gave Abby a goofy smile; Abby giggled. The Secret Scientists joined us, each and everyone of them occupied with their own fancy devices ranging from PDAs, laptops, and recording devices. It angered me, enraged me to see them scanning, studying Zak and Dahveed like test subjects. "Why are you all here?" I growled threateningly.

"Is that…really Zak?" was mostly the thought everyone had in their mind. Obviously, it was Zak. But it didn't look like Zak at all. His strange and unfamiliar wardrobe consisting of a long black overcoat with red lining, his sword in its black diamond sheath.

"Relax, Gorilla Man. I'm sure there's a good reason for all of this," Doyle reassured. "I am here to see Zak," Wadi and Abby said together with sadness.

"I have heard of the unfortunate news from some Hassi. My father, Maboul, has allowed me to visit Zak," said Wadi. "I am too," admitted Abby. It was obvious to see what the Secret Scientists were here for. There was a solemn moment of silence for Zak. "I won't believe it," Uncle Doyle, Abby, and Wadi truthfully said in disbelief.

"I know Zak, this isn't like him," Abby stated. "After all, I was his babysitter."

"So do I!" Wadi snapped. "And I'm sticking by Mini Man. No way am I turning on him."

"We applaud your faith, but these two aren't in a hot spot right now," noted the Secret Scientists. There was a moan elicited from the speakers in the glass chambers. At that moment, everyone's head turned to the prisoners.

Point of View: Zak Saturday

Slowly, my eyes opened. I cried out, feeling my wrists rub and chafe against my strained wrists. "Dahveed! Dahveed!!" I shouted. Struggling against the ropes, I yelled in frustration, Then, I saw them all. The Secret Scientists, Mom, Dad, Uncle Doyle, Fisk, even Wadi and Abby!!! There was a horrified expression on all their faces as I screeched, glaring them down to Death.

Doyle's, Abby's, Wadi's, and Fisk's piercing eyes met my own with terror and sorrowfulness. They all cried out, "Zak!"

My fanged teeth gritted together as I screamed, attempting to break free. Before a howl of agony and shame escaped my lips, hissing, "I hate you all."


	12. Life's a Boat

Point of View: Zak Saturday

Shock was on their faces. I could feel the darkness envelop and swallow up my heart and the last of my being. Beyond the well lit glass chamber, my soul slept in the shadows. Slowly, I began to dangerously approach everyone. My Dragon Robe cloak fanned and draped across the floor. My bloodied wrists soaked my hands, the fluid warm and sticky in my palms. My forked tongue ran across my razor sharp canines, baring my fangs.

Malice and hatred had been slowly gathering within my heart. "This is ALL your fault!!!" I roared, drawing my **Blade of Kur**. My heart skipped a beat as I heard Dahveed's desperate cry, "Zak! Don't do it, please!!" I glared, pressing my thumb firmly into my sword, the blood spreading across the blade. "Never," I growled. "NO! This isn't YOU, Zak!!"

"Oh, but I am, Dahveed," I cackled. "You aren't the Zak I knew! This is Kur!! It's Kur, can't you SEE that Kur is manipulating you, Zak!!!" pleaded Dahveed. "The _**Mark of Kur**_ is working, isn't it?! Kur is twisting your mind, he's taking over! FIGHT IT!!" Dahveed screamed. There was true emotion in his voice, unlike his previous laid back and relaxed attitude and dialect. Dahveed's eyes were wide open now. "Please," he gasped. Tears ran down his face, his dark and evil eyes hidden behind the shadows of a curtain of silver and black hair. My shoulders tensed as I clenched my fists. These emotions, feelings, words, they weren't my own. Yet it all felt so right. Mustering every last resort of my broken and shattered will, I fought. There was turmoil in my mind, revealing its true toll on my body. Each word I tried to speak, each breath I tried to take ran hoarse as my throat and lips ran dry. Each heartbeat became labored as my blood ran cold. Each time I blinked, the world and its surroundings around me began to blur and twist, my vision weakening. Each time I tried to move, my legs bucked, my shoulders relaxed, and my arms limp. I swallowed and gulped one last time before my eyes rolled into my head as I collapsed to the floor; there was a sickening crack as my skull fell to the ground. _**"Don't fight your destiny, Zak...," **_cackled Kur. _**"You can't escape!"**_

Groggily, I awoke to the gentle and feminine touch of Mom's slender fingers running through my hair and the soft whispered hush of her voice quietly humming and singing a melody of some sort. My mind was in a complete daze, unable to focus itself. "I love you...so much, Zak," Mom whispered with a sob. "What will I do without you?" My crimson blood red eyes must have glowed and illuminated in the darkness of the glass chamber, because Mom then chuckled, "I know you're awake, hon."

I was barely able to choke out, "I - I'm sorry, Mom!" before I found myself in tears again. "But everyone's against me, against Dahveed. All the Secret Scientists, Fisk, Zon, Komodo, even Dad! W - What else w - was I supposed to do?" I sobbed.

"No one's against you. They were following their duty, Zak. Even Dad." Somehow, that sounded like a lie.

Mom wrapped her arms around me, pressing our bodies closer. There was a comforting warmth radiating from her body; I snuggled into her arms, my head against her breasts. Yet I found that I was still bound by my ankles and wrists with new futuristic hand cuffs and leg irons. "What's going to happen to us?" Sadly, Mom stared down at her lap while stroking my hair. "The Global Secret Scientists want you and Dahveed locked up in maximum security prison somewhere in Guantanamo Bay."

"B - But that's a U. S. military prison! They can't put two innocent eleven year old kids in Guantanamo Bay! We haven't done a thing," I exclaimed, my fist tightening around the black diamond sheath of my **Blade of Kur**. Mom's hands pried my fingers from the **Blade of Kur**, holding them tightly and firmly. "You both aren't innocent eleven year old kids anymore, Zak. You've endangered the well being of the delicate balance between the secrecy of both society and our organization! And the fact that you nearly killed their members to rob contraband won't help either," she snapped before her eyes softened. Mom sighed dejectedly, "I wish I could explain it to you, but it's complicated."

"Then explain it to me!"

"It's complicated. There's so many things I don't even know about the Secret Scientists, Zak."

"Try," I insisted. "It can't be that difficult to understand."

"It's not that simple, not even black and white, Zak! Think about our biased American judiciary system for a moment! Think about the politics involved! The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, Magna Carta, everything! International laws don't apply to these, Zak. All your life, you've been sheltered by our twisted patriotism. Out there, things are _different_," Mom harshly said. "Don't forget that our government is weak, things can change at a moment's notice. Along with that, the Secret Scientists aren't exactly what we call a 'legitimate' organization."

"Can't you do something? I'm your son!" I said, raising my voice. "There's nothing we can do, Zak! Your father and I hold no position to be calling the shots around here. With Argost on the loose, everyone's on edge. I'm sorry."

"Oh yeah? How do you know that I'm really Zak? How do you really know that I'm your son?!" I shouted, struggling against my restraints. Mom smiled, kissing me on the cheek. "My gut feeling,..."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. Mom's gut feeling hasn't been very helpful. "My heart, and my soul," she finished. "Doc and I will get you out of this, Zak. I promise."

"What about Dahveed?" I asked. She pointed towards the slumped over sillhoulette of a softly snoring Dahveed. "Good night, Zak," she whispered before leaving the chamber.

A flickering lightbulb was our only source of light as we both sat in the empty darkness, which engulfed every pore of my being. When I was awake, I had complete control. During the night, I was vulnerable. Nobody knew who I really was. I had never felt this empty before, who was going to come along when I need comfort to keep me strong? We were rowing the boat of Fate. Yet the waves keep on coming and we can't escape. But if we ever get lost on our way, these waves would guide us through another day.

On the table outside of the glass chamber, I saw a large framed painting of the Saturday family. Nobody knew who I really was, maybe they didn't care? But if I ever needed someone to come along, I knew that my family would follow and keep me strong. Somewhere, far away I was breathing. Almost as if I was transparent. It seemed I was in the dark, but I was only blind. Silently I gave a prayer as I waited for the new day, shining vividly to the edge of that shining bright blue sea.

Dahveed, I wanted you to know who I really am. I never thought I'd feel this way towards you. But if you ever needed someone to come along, I would be there to keep you strong.

I stared outside the large glass window, the moonlight shining in. I could see the city and its beats pounding on my ears, its message sending shivers throughout my body. The dancing lights casted twisted shadows to the frenzied and erratic rhythm of the night and its liquid colors. "It's gotten so late," I murmured to myself.

"If you'd let it all go and cried all your tears, you've got no reason to keep staring at the ground!" chirped a friendly and familiar voice. "You're awake," I somberly noted.

Dahveed sang, "Lift your head back up and watch the sun rise, brother! Dreams are meant to be chased, you know." I ignored his optimistic attitude, hardly appropriate for the matter. "Don't you feel my voice echoing beside you?

My answer, however, was silence. "If ya do hear my voice, if my voice carries, then yo' should know what to do." A single flower petal brushed against my skin, a cherry blossom? "Saved it just fo' ya," Dahveed grinned. "You need blood transfusions to stay healthy, ya know."

"How do you know that?" I asked. "Drank yours and felt a whole lot better!" I twitched, the thought disgusting in every way, shape, or form. "You need some too, so drink," Dahveed stood up, motioning for me to stand. I felt my fangs sharpen and elongate at the thought, distastefully licking my lips. I broke my restraints like Dahveed, which fell to the ground with a clatter. Instinct began to take over as I roughly grabbed him by his shoulders, unhinging my jaw and sinking my fangs into his neck. Dahveed winced, bearing with the pain. He was right; I was blood thirsty.

My thirst was quenched, the color returning to my face and skin. "We're going to have to tell them SOMEtime, you know," Dahveed grinned, his eyes closed once again in his melancholy bliss. "I know, Fox Face," I sighed. Dahveed wrinkled his nose and furrowed his brow at the nickname, not opening his eyes once.

There was a low caw, a screech in the dawn. "Zon?" I called out to the sillhouette of a pterodactyl. She waddled over cautiously, approaching me step by step. At last, Zon stood in front of me. Slowly I stood up, crouching down to stroke her mane. Zon purred in content, snuggling into my arms like I had done with Mom. "There, there," quietly I whispered. "You still trust me, right?" Zon stared at me with her large violet eyes. Fiskerton followed, sneaking ever so quietly from the ventilation shafts, Komodo also following. In the darkness, I could see Fisk's wide red glowing eyes. "Fisk!" I cried out in joy, running to embrace him. Fisk grinned, returning my bear hug. Komodo scowled, hissing in happiness as he tackled me to the ground. Komodo wrapped his tail around my leg in affection. I laughed, petting his scaly skin, "Hello to you too, Komodo."

Fisk wouldn't let go of me. He tightly held me close to his warm furry body. Komodo and Zon also joined in, before I sniffed, "You guys are the best brothers and sister I've ever had. I'm sorry for all that I've put you through."

"That's okay."

I smiled, wiping a tear away. "Quit hugging me so hard, you loveable lump o' fur. You're squeezing my tears out."

Dahveed smiled even wider this time. "Aw! Yo' guys are so cute together, I sure wish I had a camera."

I rolled my eyes at his apparant sarcasm. "No, seriously. This is heartbreaking," Dahveed said in pure heartfelt emotions. "Yo' know I love you all."

"Never knew YOU had a soft side," I laughed. "I don't. I'm your brother, we're twins. Remember?"

I opened my mouth to disagree, before I broke into a smile. "Yeah. You are you my twin brother."


	13. Intentions

Point of View: Unknown a. k. a. Dahveed Saturday

The dawn of the new day broke, the light filling the containment sector of the Saturday mansion. The violet rays began to spread out, turning into an orange shade. Outside the windows, the night bade goodbye. Somehow, I had managed to bear the lingering pain through the night. The tick – tock of the clock was agonizing, driving me to pace around. Zak was snoring softly, safe and sound with his pet siblings. His arms were wrapped tightly against his brothers, Fisk and Komodo, and his sister, Zon. I sighed, feeling the emptiness in my heart grow larger. There was a longing inside of me, a wish to be closer to Zak and his family. I wanted to get to know them, understand them, love them, be apart of their bond that they called…a family. What did the word, family, mean? I had yet to find out.

I wanted to stay the way I was. What I wanted now was the feeling of heartbeats.

The frantic shouts of Mom shattered the thin silence between us all. Zak shook himself awake silently, removing himself from his sibling's hold. "There you are, you rascals!" She came charging through the door, her drawn Tibetan Fire Sword in hand. "Zak! Thank goodness you're safe!" Mom cried, unaware of Zak's presence. I glanced towards Zak, our eyes widened as her arms embraced me tightly. I reached for my **Blade of Kur **hesitantly.

Zak nodded. I slammed my fist into Mom's doppelganger, forcibly striking her collarbone. She cried out, collapsing to the ground. Zak snatched away her sword, astonished to find a blue flame igniting. "You know what this means, eh?" I cocked my head with a wide grin.

"The Mondays," Zak uttered, terrified, drawing his own katana.

Point of View: Kur

In the dark alleys of the town, I basked in the darkness. There was an unnerving slither as Lady Naga approached me. "Your Lordship," she hissed.

"Such formalities…," I rasped back, crossing my arms. "The location of Zak Saturday is currently at the Saturday home," Lady Naga hissed, slithering closer. The ugly creature was rearing its head around the corner. "How tranquil…or rather…how naively idiotic they've become," I grinned.

"If we strike now?" Naga was anticipating for the moment to destroy that Lemurian. "Yes…Well, I'd doubt it would be any fun killing them," I stated distastefully. Naga challenged, "Are you so sure of yourself?" with a chuckle. My eyes darted towards my servant, glaring daggers. "To me, it still seems like…you are faltering…," she hissed, more confident now than ever. Silence was my answer, hopefully enough to shut her up.

"Soon, the powers spawned from your own creation will be engaged in lengthy and fierce combat. And you plan to be the trigger, don't you?" Naga continued. "At the end of that…that Zak Saturday…he's the bullet, correct?"

"Heh…Your insights are disgustingly accurate," I snarled. She approached me, adding, "Obviously not. Because I did not have knowledge of the Mondays. I sighed with disdain, "They are expendable assets; a way to get closer to the Saturdays. Truly of no use to me…when I'm done with them, that is.

"It still seems as if you don't want to put your full trust in me," Naga acknowledged. "Isn't that right?"

"The Mondays are so inconsequential; just to keep the Saturdays busy. They WILL ultimately fail. Everything I've gained in my life, I gave to Zak. That is more than enough. Is it really necessary for me to tell you of such trivialities?" I sighed.

"Apparently not!" Naga shot back. However, I continued, "You are my right hand servant, that itself is evidence of my trust. Which is why I was thinking… of entrusting you with Zak."

"Why is that?" Naga angrily hissed. "Calm yourself. It seems my mark on him is weakening, thanks to that pesky Dahveed. But before the darkness in his heart and soul is extinguished…I want you to kidnap him."

"How unlike you! You're worried, aren't you?" she chuckled. "Tell me more."

"That Dahveed…**is** causing me a bit of concern…Strangely enough; the child possesses enough influence over Zak to change his soul and heart; he's an embodiment of revenge and vengeance. Lay a finger on his family and…," I emphasized my point with the snap of my claws. "I must separate them immediately," I smiled, licking my lips. "As soon as I can, I've got to stain Zak with my colors." Lady Naga shuddered, but began to leave.

"You know, Naga…," the creature froze. "If you want to stop me…this is your only chance to destroy Zak," I hinted. "There's no way you could overpower me, of course. Even if you're strong, I doubt there would be any chance."

She shivered, glancing back towards me with a dark look. "Just kidding," I light heartedly added. With a smile, I gave her sly thumbs up before I unfolded my wings. "Good luck."

Point of View: Zak Saturday

This unchanged morning, I felt something would change. Somehow, I woke up feeling better than before. Now I quivered in the wake of the day; the Mondays had escaped the Smoke Mirror of Tezcatlipoca! Clearly, they were aiming for revenge. "Control Room," I said. Dahveed nodded.

Ever so quietly we sneaked through the interior of the mansion. At last, we found ourselves at the Control Room. Inside was our armory and security camera feeds. "There they are!" Dahveed harshly whispered, pointing to one security camera feed: the Den. I was done playing around; I drew my **Blade of Kur**, feeling the darkness and the shadows envelop and devour my soul as my fangs elongated and sharpened. "I'm not going to mess around anymore," I angrily snarled.

"How bad are the Mondays?" Dahveed shivered, following my example. Before I could open my mouth to answer, I screamed, "Agh!!! Ugh!!" I cried out, clutching my neck, falling to our knees. The _**Mark of Kur **_was burning my flesh, a stinging sensation tearing through my mind. The agonizing pain intensified before slipping away. Suddenly, I felt a warm feeling throughout my body. The frame of my body felt rather reinforced. At once, I began to feel Kur's powers affect me, the energy coursing through my veins. For that moment, I felt grateful for all the things he had gained throughout his life and granted upon me. "Zak!"

"I'm…fine," I reassured grimly. "Let's go."

There was no idea which of the Mondays had escaped. In the center of the Den, the Secret Scientists and my family lay bound and gagged, unconscious. I hesitantly approached them. Was it an ambush, a trap? "Well, well, well. Look at what we have here." My head turned towards the young voice.

I clenched my fists in rage. The muscles in my body tensed. I glared daggers; venom in my eyes. My mind shut out every other thought, ruthlessly planning my sadistic assault upon the Mondays. My pent up frustrations and anger were ready to be unleashed. There was no idea how much malice I had accumulated throughout these past months; the sight of Zak Monday set me off. "Are you ready? It's time for us to settle our score."

Dahveed's eyes widened in shock and horror as our eyes found the Mondays, albeit a missing Doc Monday. "Zak Monday, at your service," he cackled with a flourish and a bow, the Fang in hand. "Isn't it a little early for Halloween?" Zak Monday sneered, scanning my tattered long black overcoat with red lining. Without a second thought, I began to slowly approach the group, raising my sword. Drew Monday hurled a small burst of solar energy towards me before I leapt forward, my blade absorbing the attack. Drew Monday parried my attack once more, before I increased my speed rapidly. My blade was a blur as it stabbed forward in a flurry before it cut through the Fire Sword.

Surprised and taken aback by my fury, Zak Monday took cover behind a toppled over coffee table. I roared, lashing out with my katana. A dark crimson energy blast radiated from the blade, nearly tearing apart my house.

"That's it? You're finished," Zak Monday cockily declared, rising before Dahveed right hooked his jaw with a follow up high kick. Komodo Monday appeared from out of the blue, tackling me to the ground while Zak Monday wheezed, clutching his broken shoulder. I wrestled with the monster.

Fisk Monday and Zon Monday swept down, pinning me to the walls of the Den. I thrashed, forcing them to let go. Dahveed kept them busy.

Impressed slightly, Zak Monday smirked, "This is new." I drew blood on my thumb, the blood spreading across the blade that clashed with his Fang. It seemed to glow with power. "You brought this on yourself, you know. Just come quietly, you know you can't win!!!"

"Or what?" I snarled as I began to overpower him. There was intent to kill, but there was one weakness I hadn't acknowledged. Zak Monday motioned to the explosives placed by my family and the Secret Scientists. "Keep talking," Zak Monday whispered quietly, holding up a detonator, "Or I press this button." We all froze. Wee did not breathe. "Good…Now you're listening…," laughed Zak Monday. Out from his pockets revealed a syringe filled with a clear substance.

"Relax. It's only anesthetic, after all," mocked Zak Monday, waving the detonator around while catching it. His thumb was on the button, ready to press it. I sheathed my sword, clutching it by the black diamond sheath. "Now let them go," I demanded.

"You're in no position to be making demands, my friend," hissed Komodo Monday, ready to apprehend me and my weapon. However, at the touch of my black diamond sheath, it seemed to conduct extremely volatile lightning pulsating energy. Zak Monday took advantage of the moment; I felt the needle prick into my neck. There was a sharp pain before the world around me began to spin and fade into darkness.

I had shaken out from the darkness, my world slowly sliding into focus in my eyes. Dahveed and I hung from the ceiling, bound by energy cuffs, everyone else unbearably staring upon our fate. "Wakie wakie!" sang Zak Monday mockingly. Behind him was Drew Monday, conscious and deadly, along with their cryptids. "Glad to see you're alive." His fist connected with my jaw.

I spat, staring into Zak Monday's eyes, "Let me go."

"You're quite a persistent sucker, brat," Drew Monday scowled. I smirked, not letting my guard down once. Fisk, Komodo, and Zon Monday chuckled. Playfully Zak Monday said, "Give them a break, guys. Wanna play a game?"

"No," I flatly said, before receiving a blow to the gut. "Of course you do! Q and A one – oh – one: Where is the Kur Stone?"

"How should I know?"

"Ding, wrong answer!" Zak Monday dealt a roundhouse kick to my side. I merely winced, forcing a smile. "Next question! WHERE, is the Kur Stone?" Zak Monday beamed childishly. There was venom in my eyes as I answered, "I don't know."

"Wrong." This time, Drew Monday struck my leg with the blunt side of her broken Tibetan Fire Sword. "C'mon. You can not possible hold out much longer, child. Kur told us all about it," Komodo Monday hissed, slinking around me. At last I began to see how manipulative Kur really was. "Kur sent you? He was lying. Can't you see that he's been using you?!"

"Silence!"

"Let my friends and family go!" I shouted.

"Ah, ah, ah…," sang the Mondays. "The contestant isn't allowed to speak." The Fang dealt another blunt blow to my left leg. "Answer the question, maybe you'll get to see them again," threatened Zak Monday.

"I already told you, I don't know," I shouted. I screamed in rage, thrashing. "Don't force yourself. They're unbreakable…" Uncle Doyle struggled to break free of his ties with his laser gun. Faintly, I could hear a muffled, "I'm coming for you, Mini Man."

Strive; a need to win. I glanced to my side. Dahveed seemed preoccupied with the sun roof windows. "Pay attention!" Drew Monday smacked me, drawing blood with her claw – like nails. There was a sickening crash.

"Greeting and bien venue!!!" greeted an unnerving and grungy voice.


	14. You've Got Some Explaining to Do

Point of View: Unknown a. k. a. Dahveed Saturday

Our enhanced and heightened powers that Zak and I gained from Kur began to react immediately to the situation. Every conscious eye turned to the shattered sunroof windows. Slowly, I began to see that the Monday's prisoners, the Secret Scientists and Zak's friends and family, were already awake. The expressions on their faces were impossible to read; fear was likely the issue. V. V. Argost and his friend Munya had made quite an entrance, smoke adding to the so called elegance and prestige.

We both glanced at each other with a nod, shifting our wrists to attain our sword. Using our incredible strength, Zak and I broke free of our energy restrains with the help of our katana.

Point of View: Zak Saturday

There were a lot of things that I didn't know about Dahveed. But at that moment, every move our bodies made, our instincts seemed to coincide; I felt in synch with him, a bit closer than ever before. My blade cut through Zak Monday's shoulders, slashing through his back. He screamed, collapsing to the ground. "Who the heck is this freak?" sneered Zak Monday, on the verge of collapsing. Dahveed took out Drew Monday in the same fashion. He knew as well as I did the ruthlessness and sadism of the Monday family. They were a force not to be trifled with.

"Argost!!!" roared the Secret Scientists, Mom, Dad, Doyle, and Abby. "Argost? Who is this Argost?" Wadi had a rather confused expression on her face. Argost slowly approached Wadi, snatching her by the chin with a heinous chuckle. His chalky pale face neared hers. Wadi fearlessly stared into his bloodshot yellow eyes with a quiver. My blood began to boil tremendously at the sight.

"Why, my dear! Have you not heard of me? Shame," cackled Argost.

"Leave now, old man. There's no time for us to deal with you," Drew Monday scowled, clutching her side. Argost spared her a calm and amused glance; surely he would have destroyed her!

"Although I'd adore my time with the Saturdays, it seems that they already have guests," Argost sarcastically added sadly. "Just here to drop off something, a package, shall we say…a gift or a present." Behind his Megatooth shark skin, Argost revealed the Smoke Mirror of Tezcatlipoca. A sudden realization dawned upon me for his purpose here. Did Dahveed summon him? "I know what you're thinking, Zak. And no, I didn't," Dahveed blurted. A hushed gasp settled over the Den as the Mondays eyes lay upon the artifact to their downfall, even upon the Secret Scientists, my friends, and family were silent. "W – Where did you get that?" stammered Zak Monday, kicking away. "Get away! Get away from me!!" screeched Drew Monday.

Argost threw the Smoke Mirror to me. "Au revoir!" A rope was thrown through the shattered sun roof windows. Argost tightly gripped the rope Zak Monday fumbled for the detonator; I crushed his foot under my sneaker. "Graaah!!!" Dahveed snatched the detonator, throwing it up into the air and cutting it into two. "Zak! Look out!" shouted Abby. She cut herself free with her knife. I narrowly dodged a bruised and bloodied Drew Monday. "I'm NOT going back there!!!" she screamed. The ground suddenly began to shake into an earthquake. The Smoke Mirror began to glow and emit a high pitched whine. "That ain't your choice, lady."

The Monday family began to scramble for anything to grab on before they were sucked into a vortex from the mirror. Seismic waves shook the whole area. Finally, the tremors began to stop. Abby cut each and everyone loose. Mom shrieked, "I am not cleaning this up!!!" Everyone's jaw dropped at the sheer size of the damages.

The whole Den was torn apart in two, almost. Residue and debris littered the ground. Chairs, couches, coffee tables were toppled over, while paintings were hanging askew by threads. I began to gather the shattered pieces of glass. "We've got to start somewhere," insisted I. Stupidly, I used my hands to pick up the sharp glass. My index finger ran across the sharp edge of a piece. "Ouch!" I pulled back, examining the cut.

"Are you okay?" Dahveed asked. Dahveed leaned forward, slowly wrapping his lips around the dripping blood on my finger. My face grew hot and warm, finding my cheeks glowing red; his face was really close to mine as he pulled my hand closer to my face, still thoroughly sucking. After a moment's worth, he let go for a breath. "How's that?"

"You're embarrassing me," I flushed, heart pounding against my chest. Everyone was beginning to stare. I pulled my hand away, feeling our transformations dissipate. My original Secret Scientist shirt and lemon yellow jeans returned to my outfit. Doyle and Dad began to rearrange the furniture. Mom and Abby were being women and lecturing everyone. The Secret Scientists tried to look busy, only gathering intel and information on the events that had taken place.

No one even spared me a glance, unable to bear my presence any longer. In an hour, the Den was relatively set back to normal. Everyone collapsed onto the soft couches and chairs, exhausted. There was nowhere to sit. Dad sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

DING DONG.

The door bell rang periodically, no one bothered to answer.

DING DONG.

I cringed as it rang again.

DING DONG.

"Get the door," growled everyone.

DING DONG.

"Hello?" The guest greeted me with a tackle and a hug. "Zak!" screeched a familiar brunette. "Alicia!" I gasped.

"Thank goodness you're safe, sound, healthy, and untouched!" Her arms tightly wrapped around me, a sign of infatuation. "You're, uh, choking me…," I wheezed. "Please let go…"

The intensity between the two grew. "Zak? Who is this? Uh, for your information, I'm his girlfriend! What?! Why didn't you tell me? When did this happen? How did this happen?" screeched Wadi and Alicia, thunder and lightning looming over the two as they pressed their foreheads together, growling.

I groaned loudly at the two arguing females, trying to quietly escape their wrath. "Get. This. Straight," both declared, prodding each other in the chest. They scoffed, "There is no way that a hag like you could be Zak's girlfriend." In the dim light of the hallway, Dahveed stood. Handsomely and with a romantic air, he dramatically announced, "Do not fret, have no fear, ladies! For I am Zak's exact twin brother!! Now you have two of us…"

"NO! Zak's mine!" squealed Wadi and Alicia, both grabbing one of my arms. I was found in a fierce match of tug of war. "Dahveed…Can you help me out?" Dahveed sat in the dark corner of the house, rocking back and forth while hugging his knees. "Uh…," I raised an eyebrow. He was busy twiddling his thumbs sadly with a spotlight hanging above him.

"Who's at the door?" called Mom and Dad. Faintly, I heard Uncle Doyle and Abby say, "Let's see." I stiffened and paled, my blood running cold as struggled to escape their death grip on my wrists. Dahveed suddenly perked up with a gleeful, "Hey Uncle Doyle, Auntie Abby!"

It was Abby's turn to stiffen, her face visibly paling as the color and blood disappeared from her face. Uncle Doyle began to snicker, before bursting into laughter. "This is too much! First I'm Abby's husband, now Mini Man is the Ladies' Man? Ooh, this is better than payday!!" We all laughed until our sides hurt. Wadi and Alicia, however, were oblivious to the moment.

"HOLD IT," screamed Alicia. She dragged me closer to her lip so that my ear was just in whispering distance. Alicia began to harshly ramble and whisper, "Rumor has it that the school is going to call the fuzz on your family until you return to school. It's been three weeks, the cops down here aren't very friendly; they wouldn't think twice when arresting a kid like you for questioning and dropping you into juvenile hall!"

"What's the big freaking deal?"

"Can't you see?! Every time that you step IN and OUT those gates, the school gets money, every time you don't, they lose money. Every time that you ARE and AREN'T there, the school gets money or they lose it. Every second that you're there and when you're not, the school gets money or they lose it!" Slowly and gradually, her voice began to rise higher and higher; everyone in earshot could hear this. The words escaped her mouth faster and faster at a rapid and panicked pace.

"So?" I gulped.

"That puts your whole family at stake, they're all in danger…" My eyes widened at the thought. I swallowed. "…of being arrested."

I sighed in relief, "That's okay. Uncle Doyle has a record."

"You're not getting the point, the whole picture! What if this tiny incident gets out of hand? If the press find out, negative publicity would affect not only you and your precious family, it would affect the school, stressing the staff members and the principal, therefore affecting the students, which would kill our test scores, which would destroy any chance of Real Estate ever happening again! Not to mention this incident could escalate through the whole judiciary, from the Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court!" Alicia shrieked. "No one ever wins the Supreme Court!"

"That's a mouthful. And…I think you're making a big deal out of this…," I innocently said. "You've made quite an intelligent friend there, Zak. She's right," said Dad. "We need to get you back into Oceanside View before they get suspicious," Mom added, nodding.

Dahveed scratched his head in a puzzled manner, "How do you know all this?"

"Because…my dad is the principal of Oceanside View," Alicia admitted. My reaction was none the least expected. Alicia was serious about this relationship; we were only in sixth grade! It was too early. "You need to get back soon, like, tomorrow."

I slumped in defeat. "Fine," I groaned.

"…And also because we all really miss you."

"I was only there for a week!"

Alicia sang in an annoying singsong voice, "But the girls think you're dreamy…The guys are just jealous." I was about to faint, too many things going on at once.

First Kur, now this? "Thank you very much. I'd have to kindly ask you to leave, although," Dad told Alicia. She left.

The front door creaked menacingly; everyone was ready for our interrogation. "Explain," demanded everyone in the room. Dahveed and I glanced at each other with an exasperated sigh, taking one last deep breath…


	15. Fin

Point of View: Zak Saturday

You could hear a pin drop! Not a being or soul stirred. The quietness was bothering everyone in the vicinity. A deadly and empty silence thin as glass seemed to suck all the oxygen out of the room and slowly began to loom and settle over the Den.

Anxiety overwhelmed me, nervousness taking part in my lack of words. I was at a loss of words, unable to speak.

All eyes and ears were on us.

It dawned upon me: I didn't know what to say, what to do, what to think, what to feel, how to feel, how to act. I glanced sideways to Dahveed, who cocked his head sideways with a shrug. That sly Fox Face! Gently stroking and caressing Fisk's ears and Zon's mane seemed to help me relax and calm down, helped me focus and concentrate.

Reluctantly, I spoke first with a croak. I felt my forgotten voice resonate in my throat. It felt and sounded so unfamiliar. My tone of voice was low, almost a growl. The words began to slowly escape at first, in short and incomplete sentences. Dahveed helped me finish them. Slowly, we pieced together the shattered remains of our memories. Incomprehensible at times, but we managed to tell our side of the issue. Questions were thrown back and forth between everyone; no answers were found nor discovered. Uncovering the mystery was hard enough for us. Could we even imagine what it felt like to be left in the dark?

Yet there was something holding me back. A lingering ache in the back of my head and heart was holding me back from relieving myself of these feelings and emotions. Could it have been Kur? It took nearly half the night for Dahveed and I to explain and clarify the events that had taken place months ago.

Unfortunately, to our dismay, the Secret Scientists were skeptical. According to them, every single word Dahveed and I said and spoke sounded rather unreliable. Fishy, was what Miranda Gray added. "You mean you don't trust us," I stated flatly, curling my lips back into a sneer to reveal my glinting canine fangs.

There are things in life you cannot choose.

How you feel.

"Shocker," Dahveed dully said, who was busy studying his nails while propping his feet up on our coffee table. Fisk squeezed my hand firmly, while Zon nipped at it and Komodo nudged me. But there was no way to mask my anger and rage. I felt the rise of that old familiar feeling. I hated it. I welcomed it.

"You're mad," they all noted, not looking up from their devices.

"BIG shocker," Dahveed gasped with the roll of his eyes. "Well, I'm bored. You're all not very entertaining. Can I get a cup of coffee? Anyone, coffee?" He stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets before lumbering off before there was a crack, no, two, and a horrific crash of broken glass. Mom cursed loudly. In came men and women donning emerald green coats to cover their clammy and pale skin and thick goggles, brandishing dangerous looking pistols. "Francis," I growled to myself.

"Your boyfriend?" Dahveed mused. "Never knew you were that kind of person, Zak."

"Shut up!" I cuffed him upside the head. "What do they want now?!"

Epsilon and Francis came storming in. My heart froze.

There Kur stood, hands tied behind his back at gunpoint. He spoke, "Did you miss me, brothers?"

"We've apprehended the culprit, Saturdays. Something you weren't able to accomplish," Francis boasted. "Sorry about the window."

"Could you just knock?"

"We had to make an entrance, woman!"

Kur was smiling ear to ear, his fangs protruding from his upper jaw. He licked his lips at the sight of both of us together. He was chuckling. I spat at him, grabbing him by the neck. "You deserve to die."

"I like you, Zak. You're becoming more and more like me each day. You'll make a wonderful evil ruler," Kur sarcastically added.

"I'll never be like you."

"Oh really? I dunno. You're pulling it off quite well. I can see that this is becoming an ordeal for all of you."

I struck Kur upside the jaw, falling on top of him, violently digging my thumbs into his throat to suffocate him. "Zak, get off of him!" Dahveed protested, his voice arid.

"That's right, listen to your brother, Zak. What an angel," Kur gasped, rasping. "It's almost like he's you."

My heart froze. The truth had been revealed right before my eyes. All of what he was saying, it wasn't symbolic. It was true. I was Kur, Dahveed was me. "I guess I should get going, huh?" There was a gunshot as he shifted, a perfect little hole in his head. Only except blood pouring from the wound, light erupted throughout the area, illuminating the city. What was left of Kur's body was a few flower petals.

I sat outside at a grassy field, looking up at the stars that day. Dahveed joined me, asking, "You think that all that stuff he said was true?"

I lied, "Nah."

Mom had been teaching Dahveed the "cat's cradle." He had been teaching it to me with a red piece of yarn. I had been forming the Eiffel Tower until I let my hands drop, the string tangling. "Aw, it got messed up."

I whispered, "Yeah. It got messed up."

"Here, try again."

"We can't fix it," I said.

"Huh?"

"After all of this, nothing will ever be the same again in our life."

After a long moment, Dahveed finally agreed with me, "Totally."


End file.
